Shut off water at home???

The only time I had water damage in the house was when I turned the water off at the house input valve. The valve hadn't been used in a while and leaked (it's just inside the house.)

Later I began turning off the water at the city connection, but it requires a large amount of torque (although the valve is new) and you have to consider the possibility of the valve breaking, particularly if it's outside of normal working hours.

No, because the odds are with me.

I don't turn it off when I go to work (away 9 hours a day). I don't turn it off when I go to sleep. So I'm away from my house or asleep 17 hours a day.

So a line can break 6000 hours a year when I'm at work (or I am around but asleep). Or it can break 336 hours when I'm on vacation.

What's more likely to happen? 18 to 1 odds are pretty good.

Come on people, at least be consistent! If you're gone for more than 1/2 an hour a day, you should turn your water off if you turn it off for vacation of a week or two.

But then again there are people that play the slots and the lotto every day. :B

Went to do an appraisal of a summer rental house some years back. Picked up the key from the Realtor. Opened the front door and heard water running. Water was level with the threshold ( about 2" deep in whole house ) and had been running a LONG time. Cut water off at meter. Returned the key. Cancelled appraisal. Learned my lesson. If gone for more than a weekend I cut off the water!!

Yes I shut it off. Easy to do, so why not?

~Rick

when we built our house I had a 1/4 turn ball valve installed near the water heater to shut off the water to the house. when we are gone for more than a few days we:
1) shut off the water
2) turn the water heater down to pilot
3) turn heat/cooling to "away mode" keeps it above freezing if needed, no heat or AC otherwise
4) unplug the instahot

On the way home I can remotely turn the heat/ac on so the house is at the temp we want when we get home.




Having had a ice maker hose leak and a toilet tank rupture while we were in the house, I have no desire to come home to water running for those for several weeks.

And have known enough friends/neighbors that have had water leaks while gone, I figured if I made it easy enough we could avoid any problems.

I've seen unbelieveable water damage done when people were only gone a week so I turn mine off even for a weekend. Craig

Rbertalotto wrote:
Kinda like seatbelt logic...."won't happen to me"...??

More like travel on the road: "I won't get run into and killed today." It can happen, and it's a lot more likely than your house blowing a water line, but you go out on the highway anyway. It's all in the odds, doncha know. :)

I've never said it was a bad idea, the OP asked if you turned off your water or not. I probably would do it if I actually thought about it. I don't, and I don't.

For short trips we do nothing, for longer trips we turn off the water, turn down the gas for the HWH, unplug the garage door opener, turn off the electric breakers we don't need, turn off the HVAC, and close all the doors inside the house (fire). The whole procedure takes less than 10 minutes since the systems were designed that way.

Always now, had a broken pipe in the yard and a extra $150.00 on my water bill, thank God it was outside and not inside. :)

Kinda like seatbelt logic...."won't happen to me"...??