Do you turn your water off?

[cpd520]

We were driving out of the park today and saw a nice unoccupied Tiffin MH with water pouring from under the door. We stopped, turned their water off and notified management. When we returned from town the MH was gone so don't know what caused the flood.

It got me thinking. I don't turn off water when I am away. Should I?

How many of you turn your water off when away?

[cpd520]

A lot of good feedback. I now am in the "I TURN MY WATER OFF IF I AM AWAY" camp. Too simply to do.

[sowego]

cpd520 wrote:
We were driving out of the park today and saw a nice unoccupied Tiffin MH with water pouring from under the door. We stopped, turned their water off and notified management. When we returned from town the MH was gone so don't know what caused the flood.

It got me thinking. I don't turn off water when I am away. Should I?

How many of you turn your water off when away?

We saw this once too up in Asheville, NC--owner had hooked up to water, turned it on but failed to be sure it was in "city" mode instead of "fill" mode so it overflowed!

And yes, especially during hot weather we shut off the water faucet when we'll be gone for even a few hours. One can never know if or when some sort of plumbing will fail. I know...well we don't shut off the water at home when we head to the grocery store...well it is everyone choice and risk to deal with as they want to. In winter we make sure "off before gone" is a rule!

[TOOBOLD]

After posts like this we began to do so.

[fla-gypsy]

I turn mine off. Our friends Tiffin flooded when the water heater tank failed.

[Pop-Pop_C]

We turn ours off if we are going to be gone all day, or over night.
Have read that you should turn it off when ever you leave!!!!!!!

[hipower]

This is one of the more interesting discussions on this forum in a long time. The frequency of water line failures and the reasons for them in our RV's is very broad, but certainly important information.

I'm in the pool who knows better but doesn't shut off the water. Probably the best and easiest solution is to fill the fresh water tank and use the pump religiously, while shutting the pump off when not needed. Free advice which I haven't heeded.

We were parked in the infield at Daytona Speedway this past February and experienced a water line blowout. Fortunately we were there at the time and shut the water supply down quickly, but still had plenty of water under the cabinets in the kitchen as well as the bays below. In our case the break was at least partially my fault since we had a drip at the hose connection in the utility bay that I couldn't get stopped with all the usual fixes and it irritated me to the point I went and purchased a new hose. Replaced the hose and turned the water back on. The pressure surge of turning the water back on blew the ice maker supply line under the cabinets and started the flood. Secondary factor was the routing of the icemaker line behind the oven which was being used to bake some cookies when I turned on the water.

Pressure surge plus softened line from the heat transfer as well as lines that are ten years old and have quite possibly experienced both heat and pressure surges hundreds of times, equals failure. High line pressure and no regulator didn't help any either.

We all learn from experience, ours as well as others. Some of us are just slow learners.

[Bobbo]

I bought a 24v NC (Normally Closed) water valve made for in ground irrigation systems and a 120v to 24v plug in transformer. I put hose ends on the valve and put it in line from the faucet to the RV. I run speaker wire into the RV to the transformer. If I want water, I plug in the transformer. If I want to turn off the water, I unplug the transformer.

Valve $16.94

Transformer $14.96

[pasusan]

One time our cat turned on the faucet in the bathroom while we were gone. Could have been a problem...

We have a note pinned over our door: "Water OFF?"

[JTHarley]

I saw the same thing happen while camping at Myrtle Beach. Ever since that day I turn off the water at the campground when I leave the motorhome. Once you see it pouring out of the bays it seems like an easy thing to do just to be sure. When I'm home, I always turn off the pump also in case there where ever a pipe break......

[rooster2]

We do!
Better safe than sorry!

[pa_traveler]

Ive been shuting it off for a couple years ,after reading these stories,and witnessing it happen to a camper.

[DailyDriver]

In 2003 we were staying at the Mission Bay CG in San Diego. Our neighbors behind us had a new Fleetwood Revolution, really nice rig and really nice people. Good grief I even remember their names - Tom and Penny.:B They were gone one afternoon and I heard water pouring down from their service bay door. I shut the water off at the faucet and told him about it when they returned. He had been using the outside shower to rinse something off and when through had shut it off at the outlet nozzle instead of shutting off the individual knobs. Over several hours of being under pressure, the nozzle head blew off and spewed water. No damage other than having to reattach the nozzle, but just another instance of what can happen under pressure.

No, I don't usually shut the water off, but I should. For the most part, I am dry camping and try to never leave the coach with the pump turned on.

[AZPops]

pugslyyy wrote:
Water off when away all day, but maybe more importantly we always use a RV Brass Water Pressure Regulator with Gauge to make sure that the system doesn't get over pressured.

It's my belief that avoiding over-pressuring the water lines in your RV will avoid 99% of potential issues.

I guess when it come to water. I'm a belt and suspender kind of guy cause I place a water pressure regulator at the spigot, then the hose, and another pressure regulator before water enters the coach.

The reason for the regulator at the spigot. One day (during the AZ summer months) the water pressure split the hose.

Pops

[ArchHoagland]

Several years ago we were camped in an RV park in Quartzite and had gone to the RV show. We got a call from the campground that water was running out of our coach so they shut off the water.
A water line to our mid toilet had broken at a fitting on the back of the toilet. Sunday, of course, and the hardware store was closed. Glad we have two toilets as i was able to shutoff the water behind the toilet.

Needless to say we always turn off the water now.