Vacation – Turn off water main?

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an00j
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Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by an00j »

New homeowner. Going on a vacation soon. Is it normal to turn off the water main to the house to mitigate risk of water damage while we are gone?

Anything else I should consider doing?
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ray.james
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by ray.james »

New owner that came back to house flooded with water.

- turning off water is the Big one. I cannot recommend that enough. Watering plants on timers will be trick depending on where the mainline is.
- If cold is not a concern for burst pipes, turn off heater too to save energy.
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serbeer
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by serbeer »

Popular Mechanics says Yes:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/i ... checklist/

I guess one notable exception is if your backup sump pump is powered by municipal water supply.
rixer
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by rixer »

I turn off the toilets and ice maker when we travel. We leave the main water on for the yard irrigation.
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an00j
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by an00j »

ray.james wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:01 am New owner that came back to house flooded with water.

- turning off water is the Big one. I cannot recommend that enough. Watering plants on timers will be trick depending on where the mainline is.
- If cold is not a concern for burst pipes, turn off heater too to save energy.
Anything specifically I should consider with the water heater tank?
Eat33
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Eat33 »

As I was leaving for my three week European trip I suddenly realized the bedroom carpet was wet. Not knowing where the water leak was I ran outside and turned off the main water pipe entering the house. I also turned on several fans to dry out the carpet.
From the airport I called a neighbor to check on the house.
The leak was caused by a plastic washer failure on the back of the new master bath toilet.

Two months later it happended again. Same connection with the toilet.

My home owner's insurance was canceled some time later and finding new insurance cost several times the original insurance cost.
Seems like two water claims in one year is not allowed. By the way the cost of repair was $4200.00. I offered to refund the money, no chance.The only claim I have had in my life.
Finding new homeowner's insurance took up several weeks and I needed to wait three years to finally buy a normal policy.

So yes turn off the water anytime you take a long absence from home.
BigoteGato
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by BigoteGato »

I always turn off water main when going on vacation. One caveat - turn it back on slowly. The first time I did it I quickly turned it back on and soon thereafter had a leak in one of our pipes. Maybe a coincidence, but the water seems to shoot into the house very fast when I turn the water main back on.
BG
stormswami
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by stormswami »

Yes, we turn the water off at the entry point of the house every time we are going to be gone for a couple of days or more. We once had a toilet supply line break. I heard something strange, but couldn't figure out what it was at first. I was at home but thought the running water sound I heard was just the sprinkler outside. But, I finally figured it out and ran into the bathroom to see water gushing. The amount of water and damage done in just ~5 minutes left a BIG impression on me.
mancich
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by mancich »

We always turn off the water when going on vacation. Better safe than sorry. We're on a well, so I always turn off the well pump switch itself and the main ball valve.
mancich
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by mancich »

serbeer wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:13 am Popular Mechanics says Yes:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/i ... checklist/

I guess one notable exception is if your backup sump pump is powered by municipal water supply.
ironically they also say to keep flowers alive with a soaker hose; difficult to do with the water turned off :D
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jebmke »

BigoteGato wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:52 am I always turn off water main when going on vacation. One caveat - turn it back on slowly. The first time I did it I quickly turned it back on and soon thereafter had a leak in one of our pipes. Maybe a coincidence, but the water seems to shoot into the house very fast when I turn the water main back on.
BG
I have a well with a pressure tank. I normally cut power to the water heater, cut power to the well and then run some water to lower the pressure in the tank. When we return, I open a couple of faucets and then repower the well. Then the WH.
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bob60014
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by bob60014 »

an00j wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:54 am
Anything specifically I should consider with the water heater tank?
Along with turning off the main, I just turn the gas WH thermostat to Vac mode or, if yours doesn't have that setting, to the lowest possible. Of course if electric, flip it off. All this does is basically keep the pilot light on. As it's near the floor drain, I do not drain it when leaving.
Last edited by bob60014 on Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:36 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Padlin
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Padlin »

We close the water valve and if it's not winter kill power to the furnace/water heater. I have in the past released water pressure but don't do it as a rule, it's not enough water to worry about.

This did do a number on the veggy garden this year as the drip system obviously didn't function for the month we were gone.
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chemocean
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by chemocean »

rixer wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:30 am I turn off the toilets and ice maker when we travel. We leave the main water on for the yard irrigation.
My neighbor had a supply hose to the washer break while on vacation. Massive damage.
In our 90s house, the lines for the house and irrigation are separate lines, each with a shut off valve. The shut off valve for the irrigation at the back flow preventer valve and the one to the house just outside the house.
As mentioned, turn hot water heater to pilot or vacation.
My insurance company suggest turning heat down to 55 degree F to prevent freezing of pipes.
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Watty
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Watty »

an00j wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 11:57 pm New homeowner.
......
Anything else I should consider doing?
Make a checklist that you keep and can add to as you figure out things to do to shut down your house. You can use the checklist in reverse when you open the house back up.

Hold your mail.

Take pershibles out of the fridge, empty the trash, and run the garbage disposal to make sure it is empty. You do not want to come home to a stinky house. Don't ask me how I know!

When you turn off the water always be sure to turn off the water heater and ice maker. They can have problems if they run without water.

Set a couple of lights on a timer so that it looks like someone is living there.

When I am on vacation I do not turn my AC or heat off, I just set it up or down by 15 degrees or so. I leave the heat on just in case there is an unexpected hard freeze. I am in the south where humidity is a problem on so I leave the AC on a high setting to control the humidity so the house does not get musty.

Not so much for vacation but a few general things for a first time homeowner;

We have a spare key in a combination lockbox like this which is installed in a place where it is not easy to see. It is a thick metal box that would be hard to break into, so it would be easier for someone to break a window or door than to break open the lockbox. We have used it a few times when we have accidently locked ourselves out of the house, and if we need to we can call someone and give them the code if they need to check something in the house.

https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-AccessPoin ... &srpt=SAFE

Under your sinks, by your washing machine, and by your toilet there will be cut off valves for the water. I would not do it before you go on vacation just in case it cases a problem, but when you get back from vacation try all of those out to make sure that they work. Since they are rarely used it is not uncommon for then to either be stuck, or not actually shut off the water. My house is over 40 years old and I have needed to have them all replaced. It is a lot better to know if one is bad before you actually need it. If you do not turn your water off at the water main you can use these to at least partly turn off the water.

When I bought my first house and had lived in it for nearly a year I was walking down the aisle in a store one day and saw the section with HVAC air filters. The cartoon light bulb went on over my head and I thought, "Gee, I must have some of those, maybe I should change them." :oops: Maybe six months later I realized that my furnace actually had two of them!!
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ClevrChico
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by ClevrChico »

One caveat is that if the shut off valves are old and of the "gate" type, turning them on/off when they haven't been used can cause a small leak in the packing nut. Be sure to test before vacation. You probably don't want to discover this problem as you're walking out the door.

Another caveat, is that old gate valves may be so worn, they won't completely stop the flow of water.

Ball valves seem to just work. I've never seen an issue with those.
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tennisplyr
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by tennisplyr »

I turn off water main and water heater whenever I leave my house for a week or more. Also I have my outside and inside lights on a timer…pull in garbage pails.
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jebmke
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jebmke »

chemocean wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:57 am My insurance company suggest turning heat down to 55 degree F to prevent freezing of pipes.
Our two prior houses (Milwaukee, Boston) each had a take-off just down from the main cut-off that drained to a floor drain. Cutting off the main water supply and opening up everything else would allow the entire system to drain. We always left the heat on but the risk of freezing was eliminated by draining the system. The Milwaukee house took a long time to drain, 3 floors, but it really only needs to partially drain to create enough free space in the pipes to allow the water to expand when it freezes. The previous owner was an engineering nut and he actually plumbed the drain take-offs and water supply piping so you could isolate each floor.
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Iorek
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Iorek »

I read somewhere that turning your water off and on frequently can stress the valves and pipes which is it’s own set of problems. Not sure if that’s just confirmation bias at work.

I would like to get one of those water meters that can sense leaks and turn off the water but they are expensive.
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8foot7
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by 8foot7 »

I always turn the main off. (Well, we have a bypass valve that turns the house water off but feeds the irrigation- I turn off the house side of that.) We do not have any sort of pumps. One of the easiest ways to prevent a five figure unplanned expenditure. Water damage sucks.

We have a tankless now but I used to turn off the water heater as well.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by 6bquick »

Man, I admit, I'm not the target audience here. two little kids at home and one on the way means we don't travel much (read: at all).

But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about? is this "snowbird-ing in Cabo for 4 months" so killing the water is part of some prophylactic checklist prior to departure or is this a "weekend trip to Muncie" so I better kill the water? because if it's the latter, I'm thanking my lucky stars we've never had an issue with this!
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OpenMinded1
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by OpenMinded1 »

Yes I turn mine off, turn the breaker off to the water heater, and drain water from the pipes. A plumber told me he had a customer that had about $20K in water damages due to a leak that occurred while he was away.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jebmke »

6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am Man, I admit, I'm not the target audience here. two little kids at home and one on the way means we don't travel much (read: at all).

But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about? is this "snowbird-ing in Cabo for 4 months" so killing the water is part of some prophylactic checklist prior to departure or is this a "weekend trip to Muncie" so I better kill the water? because if it's the latter, I'm thanking my lucky stars we've never had an issue with this!
If it is a weekender, I'm likely not going to do anything. A week - I'll probably hit the breaker on the pump and the breaker on the WH; it takes all of 10 seconds.
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
Elena
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Elena »

Indeed, main water line off, plus drain all pipes, including icemaker line.
Also, if you are going to be absent for over a month, my plumber recommended filling the toilet (not the water deposit, but just the sink) with pool antifreeze to prevent sewer gas from creeping up once the water evaporates.
Also, leave the fridge on (better for the compressor).
Also, turn off electric switches that will not be used (washer, dryer, etc.) in case there is a big storm.
I used to go abroad for 3 mo. every summer, and these smaller mainteinance procedures spared me coming in to a catastrophe. Peace of mind.
Have fun on your trip!!!
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Hockey10 »

stormswami wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:58 am Yes, we turn the water off at the entry point of the house every time we are going to be gone for a couple of days or more. We once had a toilet supply line break. I heard something strange, but couldn't figure out what it was at first. I was at home but thought the running water sound I heard was just the sprinkler outside. But, I finally figured it out and ran into the bathroom to see water gushing. The amount of water and damage done in just ~5 minutes left a BIG impression on me.
Had the same exact thing happen to our house. Plastic nut on water supply line for toilet broke. Water ran for about 5-10 minutes causing $14,000 of damage. Glad we were home, otherwise would have been much worse.

I turn off water main whenever we are gone overnight somewhere. Thinking about installing automatic water main shut-off valve.
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8foot7
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by 8foot7 »

6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am
But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about?
Anytime we grab a suitcase, we turn off the water. (I have a laminated card inside the suitcase I leave in there that says, in big letters, DO YOU NEED TO TURN OFF THE WATER?) It takes literally 60 seconds and that includes walking time to the garage.
6bquick
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by 6bquick »

8foot7 wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:16 am
6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am
But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about?
Anytime we grab a suitcase, we turn off the water. (I have a laminated card inside the suitcase I leave in there that says, in big letters, DO YOU NEED TO TURN OFF THE WATER?) It takes literally 60 seconds and that includes walking time to the garage.
good to know. I think I'll add a similar card to my suitcase. Thanks.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jebmke »

8foot7 wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:16 am It takes literally 60 seconds and that includes walking time to the garage.
Any house that is plumbed in a way that takes much longer than this needs to be fixed. Water "emergencies" can happen even while you are there and you need to be able to quickly shut down the water pressure.
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flarf
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by flarf »

Water leaks don't only happen when you're on vacation. My homeowners insurance carrier offered a policy discount for having a leak detector and automatic shut off such that it was effectively free after about two years of premium savings.

The device I used is installed immediately after the water main and learns your normal water usage patterns. When it detects abnormal activity, it sends an alert to your phone and shuts off the water if you don't override. It also provides some interesting metrics regarding water usage. Link: https://www.moen.com/flo

I think devices like these are absolute no-brainers compared to the cost and hassle of water damage repair, especially if your insurance carrier offers a discount.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by bob60014 »

6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am Man, I admit, I'm not the target audience here. two little kids at home and one on the way means we don't travel much (read: at all).

But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about? is this "snowbird-ing in Cabo for 4 months" so killing the water is part of some prophylactic checklist prior to departure or is this a "weekend trip to Muncie" so I better kill the water? because if it's the latter, I'm thanking my lucky stars we've never had an issue with this!
While on a weekend trip to downtown Chicago we came back to a flooded kitchen. A mouse nibbled on the plastic water supply line to the original owner of our home had running to the dishwasher. The kitchen floor, some cabinets, the basement workshop area with many tools, as well as the carpeting in the family room was a complete mess! So yes, it's a bit of prevention we do on any significant time away.
Last edited by bob60014 on Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:30 am, edited 3 times in total.
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StevieG72
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by StevieG72 »

I guess it couldn’t hurt, I would not bother. Maybe turn off water heater to save energy.

True story, my mom lives in a small community that the builders put water heater on second floor. One of her neighbors was out of town and the water heater failed, began leaking. She opened the door to a waterfall coming down from the loft.

So depending on the location of your water heater may be practical. Mine is in the laundry room / garage, not as critical or worrsome as a second floor location.
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8foot7
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by 8foot7 »

6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:18 am
8foot7 wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:16 am
6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am
But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about?
Anytime we grab a suitcase, we turn off the water. (I have a laminated card inside the suitcase I leave in there that says, in big letters, DO YOU NEED TO TURN OFF THE WATER?) It takes literally 60 seconds and that includes walking time to the garage.
good to know. I think I'll add a similar card to my suitcase. Thanks.
You bet. Another half trick; if I am packing in advance I will move the card to the front seat of the car we're taking on the trip.
I don't do well remembering small details so any hacks like this I can gift to my future self I find useful.
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MAKsdad
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by MAKsdad »

If you've learned this trick the easy way (i.e., you didn't learn it by returning from vacation to a huge mess) then you're ahead of the game. Anything more than 2 days and we turn the water off now before we leave. We learned the hard way.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by snackdog »

We returned from Australia to a torrent of water gushing into the street from under our house! Luckily it was on the city side of the meter.
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Artful Dodger
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Artful Dodger »

jebmke wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:11 am
6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am Man, I admit, I'm not the target audience here. two little kids at home and one on the way means we don't travel much (read: at all).

But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about? is this "snowbird-ing in Cabo for 4 months" so killing the water is part of some prophylactic checklist prior to departure or is this a "weekend trip to Muncie" so I better kill the water? because if it's the latter, I'm thanking my lucky stars we've never had an issue with this!
If it is a weekender, I'm likely not going to do anything. A week - I'll probably hit the breaker on the pump and the breaker on the WH; it takes all of 10 seconds.
The one time this happened to us was an overnight trip. Got a call from our neighbor who was checking on our dogs, and water was running out from all the downstairs doors. One of the fittings had come loose under the kitchen sink. $24K in damage. Pretty much a freak accident but they happen. I have another neighbor who’s washer hose ruptured and flooded their basement.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jerryk68 »

When I go on vacation, I turn off the water, hot water heater (electric) and the water softer. When I return from vacation I turn the water on, I then open the valves to allow air to clear the lines. After the lines are clear of air I then turn on the hot water heater and softener.
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canidothat
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by canidothat »

I basically turn off everything just to be safe
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jharkin
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by jharkin »

Yes I turn it off - but key is to turn the valve on and off a few times a year before you go away and makes sure hte valve turns freely and doesnt start leaking when its closed. Valves that are never used for years can freeze up or develop leaks when they are used (less an issue with ball valves but possible).

My checklist for vacation:

* Main water OFF
* Water heater OFF
* AC off, or if winter heat turned down to 55/60 (just enough to protect pipes)
* If gas/propane range, I shutoff the main gas valve
* Always on electric loads that are not needed (like wifi repeaters) can get turned OFF
* All lights off except a couple strategic ones on timer
* Setup mail hold on USPS.com
* Take out all trash (so no smell in kitchen) and arrange with neighbor to have my cans put out on trash day
Big Dog
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Big Dog »

Yes. Just turn the water heater down to lowest temp setting.

fwiw: we have two shut off valves outside (SoCal so no freezing issues) before the main enters the house. The first shutoff (bottom) feeds the sprinklers and the second is for the House. So we can shut off the 2nd (house) and the sprinklers are still happy. The sprinkler line is all PVC so its an easy job for a plumber or even DIY.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by tev9876 »

I got lucky on a short trip this summer. Came home after five days to the smoke detector going off, then heard running water in the basement. I had a water filter mounted over the laundry area to filter the kitchen sink and ice maker from when I still had galvanized pipe and would get rust at times. The PEX line into the filter had cracked and was spraying water on the wall - I'm guessing due to years of UV exposure through the basement window. The increased humidity must have tripped the smoke detector at the top of the stairs. Thankfully all it did was waste water as it was over the laundry tub and what didn't end up in there, or in the washing machine, went down the floor drain. My water bill ended up about $60 higher than normal and about $25 in a couple Sharkbite fittings and piece of PEX to bypass the filter.

Test any valves you intend to turn off when you have time to get a plumber in if necessary. Turning valves that have not been moved in years can cause leaks that won't go away. I also had an issue where the valve on the city side of the meter would not stop the flow completely. I ended up adding a 1/4 turn ball valve after the meter to take care of it.
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dcnut
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by dcnut »

We always turn off water when away for more than 24 hours. Before turning the water back on, however, we always flush both upstairs toilets. This will quickly eliminate any air pockets that have formed in the pipes.
Brewman
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Brewman »

About 25 years ago right after we moved in to our house a neighbor had a washer hose burst in the middle of the night - laundry was on the first floor and it caused quite a bit of damage leaking for 5-6 hours before he woke up. Got me thinking what would happen if you weren't home for several days!

I promptly installed the metal braided hoses on our washer and on all the toilets and the sinks upstairs on our two story house - while the metal braided ones aren't full proof they gave a little bit more feeling of security. If we are gone overnight or longer I turn the water off at the main and drain most of the water from the system by opening a faucet in the basement, turn the water heater down to vacation - in the winter I set the furnace to 60 in the summer the A/C to 85. I slowly turn the water on when we get back and slowly open each faucet to get the air out.
Nicolas
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Nicolas »

When we were looking at houses to buy some years ago we toured one with a finished basement. There was a water mark about a foot off the floor along all the walls in that basement. I asked the realtor about it who said the owner had been vacationing elsewhere when a pipe burst and this flood resulted. He said he was on a three-week trip and found the water still running when he got back!

We have a well and earlier this year the connection to the pressure tank burst. Luckily we were home and awake at the time, it could’ve happened at any time. There was a loud pop which scared even the cats so I knew something bad had happened. I headed to the basement and shut off the water, no other damage. The new pressure tank was $1K installed, not too bad.

I turn down the gas water heater if away one or two days, off if longer. I also turn off the well power and turn off the main water inlet valve. But if we’re gone for a longer time such that our cat sitter visits us my wife wants the water to stay on and even wants the heater to remain on as the sitter washes the cat dishes and replenishes their bowls. This worries me.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by InMyDreams »

Not just for vacation - I turn off the washer taps when I finish a load of laundry. I've earned praise from plumbers for that.

Wow, a remarkable number of stories about flooding. The Moen gadget looks interesting. As posters have mentioned - once the leak starts, it progresses quickly to flood stage, so there's risk anytime you're out of the house for any length of time.

And if you have a pet still in the house, it's a pain for the petsitter not to have access to running water, so turning water off for vacation is also a problem.
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willthrill81
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by willthrill81 »

Yes, we turn off the water main when we go on vacation. I also turn off the water heater.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

I turn off at the meter when I am away more than a day or two.

I don't turn off the washer water lines between use, because I am scared of that CAUSING a leak. I have steel-braided anti-burst supply lines.

I put the water heater on vacation mode which protects it from freezing, but nothing more.
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by seawolf21 »

I turn it off and I also have Flume for monitoring especially if I forget to turn it off.
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dcnut
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by dcnut »

Brewman wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 10:10 am About 25 years ago right after we moved in to our house a neighbor had a washer hose burst in the middle of the night - laundry was on the first floor and it caused quite a bit of damage leaking for 5-6 hours before he woke up. Got me thinking what would happen if you weren't home for several days!

I promptly installed the metal braided hoses on our washer and on all the toilets and the sinks upstairs on our two story house - while the metal braided ones aren't full proof they gave a little bit more feeling of security. If we are gone overnight or longer I turn the water off at the main and drain most of the water from the system by opening a faucet in the basement, turn the water heater down to vacation - in the winter I set the furnace to 60 in the summer the A/C to 85. I slowly turn the water on when we get back and slowly open each faucet to get the air out.
This also happened to a neighbor many years ago, but, unfortunately, they were away on vacation. The next-door neighbor noticed water coming out from the garage (the washer was in a 1st floor utility room next to the attached garage). He had been given access to the home and was able to get in and shut off the water. Several neighbors were enlisted to enter the home and move furniture away from wet carpets.

As a result of this incident, we always shut off the water going to our washing machine when it is not in use.
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Padlin
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by Padlin »

6bquick wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:03 am Man, I admit, I'm not the target audience here. two little kids at home and one on the way means we don't travel much (read: at all).

But, what kind of 'vacations' are y'all talking about? is this "snowbird-ing in Cabo for 4 months" so killing the water is part of some prophylactic checklist prior to departure or is this a "weekend trip to Muncie" so I better kill the water? because if it's the latter, I'm thanking my lucky stars we've never had an issue with this!
When I turn off the water it's when I'm going away for weeks or months, not a weekend.
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illumination
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Re: Vacation – Turn off water main?

Post by illumination »

I turn my water off religiously when I leave overnight and no one else is at my home. So many friends and family have had massive damage from water leaks like this while away. It will be something like a refrigerator ice maker or RO system.

Fortunately, I'm able to turn off the water to the home, but leave on my irrigation for the yard. If you can't do that, its pretty easy for a plumber to install an additional valve so you can.

Even with good insurance, you don't want to go through flood damage. Complete nightmare.
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