Shut off water at home???

Yes, we turn off the water to the house and we shot off the breakers to the hot water heater. There are just too many things that can happen while you are away to risk it.

Only thing we do is unplug the electronic items. No problems in 25 years. We have family look in on house every day or two while gone anyway.

We turn off the main valve where the water enters the house. Over the years in the insurance business have had several clients who had claims for water pipe or fitting leaking. I also set the a/c to 82 degrees and turn off the water heater. All this takes 5 minutes.
Don

A pipe may not just break. I've seen scenarios of it starting with a slow leak and getting much worse. At home I will run across it in hours. When I'm on vacation I may not run across it for weeks. I've certainly got up at night when I thought I heard water running.

There will be far more damage from 20 days of unnoticed leakage than a worse case scenario of 10 hours unnoticed leakage. I've heard of absolutely moldy horror story of a home with water running for three weeks. Plus huge water bill and gas bill because it was the hot water.

It takes me 30 sec to turn off my house interior water. Always part of my travel plans-even one night! I also had all the flex fittings under sinks, toilets, washer, DW, etc replaced proactively.

Sfla2 wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

yes you do leave for work but thats not 2 wk or more.

What difference does that make? Do you have any evidence that pipes break more when you're on vacation then when home?

You have a 18X more chance of it breaking at when you're not at home or asleep then when you're on vacation (at least I do). If a pipe breaks in your home for more than a 1/2 an hour you have big problems anyway.

So why not be consistent and turn it off when you go to work or you're way for more than a 1/2 an hour? :h

you seem to miss the point yes can happen any time but you will be home some time that day not 2 wk later

You're assuming that you will have more of a chance that a pipe will break while on vacation than away at work or asleep at home. This is not the case (at least time wise) because I have shown the math. In my case it's around 18 times more probable that it will happen when I'm NOT on vacation.

I'll ask you one more time, do you have any evidence that pipes break more when on vacation then when a work or asleep? If so, post it up so we all can see.

Have a water softener in the garage that is directly below where the water enters the house. The water to the yards bypasses the softener so I put a ball valve on that line. Shuts off everything in the house but leaves the automatic drip system to water the plants.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

yes you do leave for work but thats not 2 wk or more.

What difference does that make? Do you have any evidence that pipes break more when you're on vacation then when home?

You have a 18X more chance of it breaking at when you're not at home or asleep then when you're on vacation (at least I do). If a pipe breaks in your home for more than a 1/2 an hour you have big problems anyway.

So why not be consistent and turn it off when you go to work or you're way for more than a 1/2 an hour? :h

you seem to miss the point yes can happen any time but you will be home some time that day not 2 wk later

yes you do leave for work but thats not 2 wk or more.

What difference does that make? Do you have any evidence that pipes break more when you're on vacation then when home?

You have a 18X more chance of it breaking at when you're not at home or asleep then when you're on vacation (at least I do). If a pipe breaks in your home for more than a 1/2 an hour you have big problems anyway.

So why not be consistent and turn it off when you go to work or you're way for more than a 1/2 an hour? :h

yes for a 5 min job only takes 1 x not to , & blow washer ,dw. hwh, hose. yes you do leave for work but thats not 2 wk or more. just makes good sence

Water valve into house off, water heater electric switch off, shock pool and filter off, set temperature at 83F for warm weather or 64F when cold weather.