turning off water while on vacation

REELDOC

REELDOC

The creek won't clear up til you get the pigs out.
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My cousin used to be an adjuster and he said a large precentage of water damage was the washing machine hoses failing while people were on vacation.
 
REELDOC said:
https://www.travelers.com/resources...tices-to-protect-your-home-while-you-are-away

I've been kinda hesitant to do this. Always was concerned about the water heater. May start doing it now since my insurance company may be trying to say I told you so if something happens.
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I always do this unless we have someone regularly checking on the house and water is needed.

It was another thing my wife rolled her eyes at until one of our neighbors went away for a couple weeks, their fridge water line failed, and they had a battle with their insurance company over the damages, which were upwards of $10k. They were lucky that the water didn't get into any electrical work and cause more damage.
 
I usually shut mine off if I leave more than a couple days. Or I did, before horses, have to have someone coming by now.
 
Shut off mine at the well and turn the breaker off to the water heater and shut off the cutoffs to the washing machine hoses every time I leave for more than a day. It’s just a mobile home, but I don’t want it flooded
 
Always shut mine off if Im leaving for more than a day. Its an easy practice - on the way out the door I pass the small closet which holds the water heater and valve for the water - just turn it before I hit the garage.
 
Had a refrigerator water filter fail once when away for the weekend.
It was a rental house and the owner had insurance that included water damage.
The entire downstairs floors were replaced, carpet and wood.

Always shut the water off.
 
I can't tell ya how many water-damage jobs I've been on. Often it's worse than the fire damage ones.
Worst was a toilet hose broke in the upstairs bathroom. The couple had gone to Florida for 2 weeks. The water ran the whole time.
It destroyed the entire first floor, and most of the second.
Then they get a bill from the water department for $2500.
Insurance? Yeah ok. You'll never fight harder against an insurance company than you will when filing one of these restoration claims. They try to get out of paying for most every thing that got totaled. Tooth and nail. You don't wanna even go there.
Turn off the water.
 
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I always turn the water off to the washing machine when we leave, this has me thinking I should expand that.
 
I put my own cutoff valve between the meter and the house that has a drain in it so I can turn off the water, turn off the water heater, and drain the system in just a few short minutes when I leave. I drip the outside faucet at the end of the line in the winter when it is going to freeze and I am at home since the line coming into the house goes up an exposed piling. Water damage and frozen pipes are no fun.
 
Neighbor was in Asheville for a week, came home to first floor flooded, the shutoff valve to the toilet in second floor bathroom popped off the copper pipe stub.
They were out of the house for three months, they had recent remodel first floor with hardwoods. They had to fight their insurance company big time.
I always turn the water off if we are gone more then one day. I think the water hammer caused that compression shutoff to slide off the water pipe stub. I have a pair of hammer dampers at my washing machine connections.
 
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The fitting on the bottom of one of our toilet tanks broke in the middle of the night once when I was out of town. Fortunately our new puppy, which was confined in that bathroom at night because it wasn't yet housebroken, started barking immediately. My wife shut off the valve before any real damage was done. That, and the leaking water heater I discovered the night before we were to leave for a week at the beach, convinced me to shut off the main valve before going on vacation.
 
Millie said:
What if you have a well? How does it work?
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That's for the city connection. You can shut it off at the box. Unless the well is outside the house and you have a box outside the house with a cutoff. It just keeps you from having to reach down into the box to shut it off.
 
chiefjason said:
That's for the city connection. You can shut it off at the box. Unless the well is outside the house and you have a box outside the house with a cutoff. It just keeps you from having to reach down into the box to shut it off.
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There's a switch in the breaker box for the pump, and one in the pump house....just wondered if I missed something. If I turn off the water pump, then would I not have to turn off the water heater so it wouldn't burn out if some water got out of it?
This is getting complicated, and I've been away from home a total of 4 nights in 2 years.....:)
 
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I want to shut it off but the wife wants the water on to have her garden watered while we are gone. I've heard the same thing about washer hoses busting and flooding houses. That is why I never wanted a 2nd floor laundry. The washer was always in the garage or in this house, a 1st floor laundry room
 
Millie said:
There's a switch in the breaker box for the pump, and one in the pump house....just wondered if I missed something. If I turn off the water pump, then would I not have to turn off the water heater so it wouldn't burn out if some water got out of it?
This is getting complicated, and I've been away from home a total of 4 nights in 2 years.....:)
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4 nights? Lol. Don’t worry about the water heater. If it drains that quick you probably need a new one anyway. They don’t drain unless there is a problem.


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Here's the appliance guy's take. Shut off the water if you leave. In addition to that you need to replace hoses on washer every 5 years. The rubber dries out and will fail. Put braided stainless hoses on if you want piece of mind.
Don't trust the plastic compression water line on the refrigerator. Replace it with braided stainless line as well.
Don't trust the toilet supply lines, replace with copper or braided stainless.
People don't realize those supply connections are maintenance items.

Also, replace the flex duct dryer venting with new every so often. Better yet, run hard duct the whole way.

Also, flexible gas tubing behind gas ranges can develop pinhole leaks. There's a new type that's plastic coated that is supposed to be better.
 
chiefjason said:
4 nights? Lol. Don’t worry about the water heater. If it drains that quick you probably need a new one anyway. They don’t drain unless there is a problem.


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:)
 
I've had three flood events at my home in five years.

First time, I was washing something in the sink when my boy needed a ride to Scouts. I left with the water running. Came back 90 minutes later and it was raining downstairs. $20,000.

Second time, new dishwasher professionally installed but didn't he get the supply line connected right. Two days later, I saw my hardwoods buckling from a slow drip. His insurance fixed it. $7,000.

Third time, the supply line to the master toilet spontaneously broke while I was away for the weekend. My 15 year old was home alone and discovered it within a couple of minutes. A few years prior, I had shown him the main cutoff valve in the kitchen pantry, and he had the presence of mind to run there and turn it off. I was really proud of him but it still cost about $17,000.

The two times that USAA paid for it, they had someone there within two hours to start the dry-out, and both times were on a weekend. They never balked at any part of the claim, and the guys they hired were top tier and did an incredible job. I have been with USAA for 38 years, and after every claim experience I've grown to appreciate them more than before.
 
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Timfoilhat said:
Here's the appliance guy's take. Shut off the water if you leave. In addition to that you need to replace hoses on washer every 5 years. The rubber dries out and will fail. Put braided stainless hoses on if you want piece of mind.
Don't trust the plastic compression water line on the refrigerator. Replace it with braided stainless line as well.
Don't trust the toilet supply lines, replace with copper or braided stainless.
People don't realize those supply connections are maintenance items.

Also, replace the flex duct dryer venting with new every so often. Better yet, run hard duct the whole way.

Also, flexible gas tubing behind gas ranges can develop pinhole leaks. There's a new type that's plastic coated that is supposed to be better.
Click to expand...
Old type was rubber then brass, now stainless steel.
 
Toilet tank to bowl gasket started to leak, noticed it same night, l always check our upstairs kids bath since our daughters went off to college.
 
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