Going on vacation for 10 days and my home will be checked daily. Do you recommend that I shut off the hot water valve and disconnect the electric power to it?
Water heater on/off?
- Thread starter Eddie
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I generally turn the water heater and well pump off When I leave for any length of time. It may not be necessary, but with the number of leaks and failure issues I’ve had, I’d rather not take the risk.
I always shut off all the water to the house and turn off the water heater. Gotta watch though, if you get a discount from the power company for having their w/h controller, they will see it's powered down and will complain. It takes them a while to catch on though.
In my case, I explained that we went on extended vacations, and they came out and installed a switch AFTER the controller, for free.
Now everybody is happy.
In my case, I explained that we went on extended vacations, and they came out and installed a switch AFTER the controller, for free.
Now everybody is happy.
came home from a week at the beach to a wet carpet in our hallway....the dishwasher supply line had come undone and was squirting out a small stream of water for a while......
Now I cut off the water at the street when I leave the house for more than 2 days
Now I cut off the water at the street when I leave the house for more than 2 days
I wouldn't mess with it, and if someone is coming to check on the house they may want to use some hot water for handwashing?
You can't always depend on home sitters. Ask me how I know.
Yes on shutting off your water and water heater if you're going to be gone a few days.
Pro tip and your insurance company will thank you: shut off the faucets to your clothes washer when you aren't using it. The hoses from the faucets to the washer are notorious for failing, usually at the end by the screw attachment, but the rubber hose itself can rupture too.
Pro tip and your insurance company will thank you: shut off the faucets to your clothes washer when you aren't using it. The hoses from the faucets to the washer are notorious for failing, usually at the end by the screw attachment, but the rubber hose itself can rupture too.
Turn off the water in the beach house when I leave. Power down the water heater and ice makers. Let the dishwasher finish its cycle if you run it before leaving. Boost the thermostats to 79. Take in the flags and deck furniture and check everything is locked up tight. Having a remote accessible thermostat can provide lots of info about the house while you are away. If you have a security device like Ring make sure it is operating properly. I hate that nagging feeling I forgot something, it's a ***** to get back onto the island in the summer.
Go without worries.
Go without worries.
Yes, I turn off my main water supply and switch off the tank. Furthermore, I turn off my HVAC and unplug as many things as I can too. My parents neighbours went away for the weekend and the toilet in the second floor ensuite failed, major flooding all the way down to the basement; it was bad.
OK. thanks for the input. I will shut off the hot water at the tank, turn off the power and leave the house water on. My grandson is my Pet feeder and house checker. Ed
After having a water heater leak in 2017 that caused about $25K in damages I'd turn the water off to the house. Just cutting off the water supply to the water heater and cutting power doesn't protect you from other leaks that could happen. My uncle and aunt came home from vacation one time years ago to find the line going to their ice maker had busted and flooded their house.
I wouldn't turn off the water supply to the tank, just turn off the heat source, i.e. electric or gas. The tank will just hold the water and when you return, turn the heat back on and it will warm it back up.
I agree with most, when we leave home for more than one night I turn the HW heater off and turn the water off to the whole house ball valve in the kitchen pantry.
When I leave the house for weeks I always turn off the water at the street...You can purchase the tool at Hme Depot or Lowes for a few bucks...I have a gas hot water tank and I do turn it off and also close the gas valve going into the hot water tank...I also open a fauchet to release the pressure then close it...
Too much hassle for me to shut off faucets to clothes washer after every time I use it, I'd just install new hoses if worried about failure, and make them the braided exterior type. If the routing of the hose puts a bend near the connector, it may be better to get a hose with a right-angle on either end where this happens.
When gone for a few days I shut off water at the main service pipe valve, right after it enters the basement.
Why at the street? Seems like overkill.
I shut the water heaters off if going more than a week. I don’t shut the water down due to the pool auto-fill and irrigation system still needing to run and my mom comes over to use the pool and uses water while at the house. Granted, it’s a newer house and the water heaters are all in the basement with a floor drain next to them so a small leak would hopefully end up in the floor drain….hopefully.
Another positive is that an electric water heater uses about half of the electricity in a vacant house, maybe more. I save about $5 a day that the water heater is turned off. So a week long vacation saves almost $50 just by turning the water heater breaker off.
Owen Lucas
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I keep the AC set to 75° since most medications aren't supposed to go over 77°.
I think it should be regular home maintenance to replace all flexible hoses every 5 years or so, even the braided ones. ALL of them, toilets, dish washer, fridge, water heater, washer, sinks, etc. Failing hoses are the #1 reason for home insurance claims. Personally it would be worse dealing with the hassle of cleanup and downtime than the insurance payout.
If there were a reliable solution to shut a water main off remotely and monitor flow rate I would be all over that. Current solutions involve installing a Wi-Fi shutoff valve but who knows how long updates and service will last before the app is useless.
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