Cut Off Water to Your Home

gunafulltime · 12-16-2022, 08:29 AM

When you leave for a trip, do you cut off the water (main) to your home? After hearing a few horror stories, we started cutting it off. I'm just curious if others do this, too.

Kim Gass · 12-16-2022, 08:35 AM

no... The heating system would freeze.. If we were gone for months in a winter we would have a plumber drain the whole house and fill the lines with antifreeze. Its not a cheap process but often done when houses are vacant in the winter for several months.

We set the thermostat to 50 and have a standby generator in case the power goes out and also use heat pumps as a backup. We have a hot water heating system.

Yes if the hot water system freezes it can burst pipes. Been there done that. Our heating system has glycol in it too but its not concentrated.

Temps in Jan can be minus 20 with highs of 0.
Our heat pumps work per the manufacturer to minus 10 . I think they do better but not ready to trust them when away for a month in the winter.
If you have electric heat or forced air cutting off the water main makes sense.. We cut off the washer as that hose has caused us grief!

gunafulltime · 12-16-2022, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

no... The heating system would freeze.. If we were gone for months in a winter we would have a plumber drain the whole house and fill the lines with antifreeze. Its not a cheap process but often done when houses are vacant in the winter for several months.

\If you have electric heat or forced air cutting off the water main makes sense.. We cut off the washer as that hose has caused us grief!

That's interesting. What type of heating system do y'all have? It can freeze without water? I don't think we have such an animal down South.

Also, we were told to consider it not so much for freezing but for any pipe, fitting, or line failure. The people we were talking with do it even in warm weather as a preventative measure for the unattended home.

RoadrunnerII · 12-16-2022, 08:43 AM

Just had a minor flood in the fall while we where away camping. It was caused by the 1/4 inch line to the fridge icemaker.
Going forward shutting icemaker line off as well as dishwasher and clothes washer.
Hot water heater is getting powered off but not drained. It's beside the sump hole so minimal issues if it leaks
Setback furnace/ A/C while away.
Turn water off to humidifier as well.

RoadrunnerII

Northern Wis. · 12-16-2022, 09:00 AM

First we have forced air heat. Yes we shut the water off, not at the main but at the water line house entrance. When we lived in the country and traveling during the winter months, we flipped the well pump breaker and did drain down the water system. Again, forced air heat

**norty1** · 12-16-2022, 09:11 AM

I suspect the routine would depend on where you live.

In coastal SC, we seldom get cool enough to freeze pipes. When we leave in the winter, the water is turned off at the street sometimes? We have a shallow well for washing cars and watering yards that is turned off and drained and the pump house is on a timer with a bulb in there to keep it above freezing if needed.

In winter we are not traveling for more than 3-4 weeks. In summer we are gone for several months and do not go to much drastic measures. We do have to have yard service cut the grass.

Kim Gass · 12-16-2022, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunafulltime

That's interesting. What type of heating system do y'all have? It can freeze without water? I don't think we have such an animal down South.

Also, we were told to consider it not so much for freezing but for any pipe, fitting, or line failure. The people we were talking with do it even in warm weather as a preventative measure for the unattended home.

A home heated with a hot water system is just like an RV on a bigger scale
You have to drain all the water out first then as fittings abd elbows trap water put antifreeze in
This can be a DIY for a small camp or RV but a house is way bigger

ARoamer · 12-16-2022, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunafulltime

When you leave for a trip, do you cut off the water (main) to your home? After hearing a few horror stories, we started cutting it off. I'm just curious if others do this, too.

If gone for a week or more, water is allways off, water heater temp turned down, furnace set at minimum.
Easy enough to do, worth the piece of mind. We also monitor home with smart cam and smart thermostat.

muckinfuss · 12-16-2022, 09:41 AM

We have a well...flip the switch to off and shut the hot water down whenever gone for even a few days. I'm not worried about freezing etc., but around 1989, I was on a business trip, not married, lived in the house I built that was on acreage with a small lake for the water supply. Around midnight, when I pulled up to the garage and hit the opener, water came rushing out and a small waterfall was running from under entrance door. A small clip that holds Moen cartridges in failed in their faucets failed in one of the upstairs bathrooms and was showering the room with water at 70psi for three days as the pressure blasted the cartridge right out of the faucet. I lost my entire family room contents, two floors, a ceiling.....you get the picture. I learned two things from that experience...always turn off the water when leaving for even a few days, and no more insurance based on actual cash value. It cost me almost $8G in 1989 dollars to re-fit my living space.

**Midnightmoon** · 12-16-2022, 10:23 AM

We always turn ours off in addition to the water heater.

TCNashville · 12-16-2022, 10:37 AM

I always turn the water off before a trip and it doesn't matter if it's 4 days, 10 days etc. Peace of mind for me. Years ago, my now ex wife called the water company out to turn the water off to the house before a trip to Florida. They came out, popped the meter cover and shut the water off. They charged $75 for a 30 second job. Ever since then, I just do it myself.

David_ski · 12-16-2022, 11:29 AM

Good idea to turn off water to house when leaving for an extended time. We don't live in freezing temps. I have an automatic shutoff on the washer water supply. Peace of mind already there. I have been thinking about turning off the hot water heater supply (21 year old WH). Leaving water on still leaves the refrigerator water supply exposed.

If you want to drain water lines you could install low point drains on your hot and cold lines.

We have a cabin in the Sierra's and when we leave it in the fall we turn off the water, and open the hot and cold low point drains. We drain the toilets and tanks with a siphon hose. Add RV antifreeze to tub and sink drains. Leave faucets open. Done.

Kim Gass · 12-16-2022, 11:34 AM

We also rely on a neighbor to do house checks. He is vigilant! His house had snow load bringing down an entire wall . The wall was attached to a chimney and five feet of accumulated snow brought it down while the home was vacant for the winter.. This was before he bought that house.

He checks our interior and also our heat tape on the edge of the porch roof..
We try to keep a trickle of water going. The well pump won't freeze but we are not sure of the depth of the well lines to the house.. They are likely not below the frost line ( seven feet) Were we to shut off the water we would likely not have water again until May.

Also remember to unplug things that can go rogue like small appliances. Including TV's etc even if on surge protector.

There are sensors and apps that can notify you remotely about events at home in your absence.

Sundancer330 · 12-16-2022, 11:41 AM

After a brass T split on my well tank when I was home we now shut off power to the pump when we wont be home for more than a day. Lucky I was sitting right above the tank when it happened, water was shooting up hitting the floor and boy what a mess in just a few minutes.

**FPM III** · 12-16-2022, 11:54 AM

It is SOP at our house to turn the water off at the shut-off valve where the water line enters the house and and turn the electricity off at the breaker box for the HWH whenever we will not be home for one or more nights. Our home network is completely powered down except for the T-Mobile Home Internet Gateway which remains on (and plugged into a UPS) to ensure all our smart devices have Internet access. Our heat pump has a smart thermostat which allows me to monitor its status and adjust the temperature. I can set it to 60° when I leave the house and return it back to its normal temperature before arriving home.

"Progress is lovely, isn't it?"- Lenina Crowe, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Jagiven · 12-16-2022, 12:06 PM

I do not turn off my water! I have a nice new shutoff and all new plumbing in the house. I always consider turning off the main but it is difficult to reach. We have a finished basement and the main shutoff valve is behind the TV cabinet. It is reachable, but it is not a fun reach. So we leave it on.

If I had an icemaker, I would make sure to shut it off while I was gone. I know way to many people that have had an ice maker fail on them.