A Vacation Ruiner

7/16/2019 (Permalink)

Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than a phone call alerting you to catastrophic damage to your house, or returning to a home that has been sitting in water due to a broken/frozen pipe or a hot water heater that defaulted into a flood. Turn off your main water valve before going on vacation! 

If you are traveling during the winter it is also a good idea to drain the lines too.  It is easy to drain the lines by simply turning on a faucet on the main floor or in the basement.  If you do not know where your main valve is, ask your plumber.  It is also a great idea to make sure that the valve works.

If for any reason you are not able to turn it off yourself sometimes the water company will shut it off for you.  This simple act can prevent thousands of dollars of damages.