Posted by So here we are in the middle of July. Friends, family and co-workers are taking vacation and going to fun and interesting places. It would be a shame to end a great trip by coming home to a nasty surprise… running water dripping through your ceiling. Can you imagine how shocking and a little scary that would be? We have people on our team that have experienced that first hand, and it is no fun at all.
All you have to do to make sure this doesn’t happen is turn off the main water supply to your home before you leave for an extended period of time.
Also, be sure to turn your hot water heater to the “vacation” setting or turn it down to a lower setting. That way, you won’t risk damage to your hot water heater if the water level gets low, and you will also save money by not having to keep the water as hot while you are away.
First, you have to find where the main water line comes into your home. Usually, this is located in the basement along an exterior wall and enters your house close to ground level. You will see a pipe coming in and either a round, turn-type shutoff or a straight, lever-type shutoff. (See the pictures below for examples of both types.) All you have to do is make sure either type is turned from the open position to the closed position, and you have shut off all water to your house.
Our friends at Sage Restoration shared with us recently the three most common types of water damage they see:
1. Washing machine line bursts or was not connected properly
2. Dishwasher water line connection bursts or leaks
3. Supply line to the toilet bursts or leaks
Be sure to avoid this potential problem at the end of a great vacation by turning off the main water supply to your house before you leave!
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