Discussions

We recently had a water loss in our home.  
Luckily we were home but thought about how worse it could have been if we were away.  
 
We wonder if it would be a good idea to shut the water off if we are going away for extended periods. Does anyone do this?

if we're gone from home for overnight or longer, the water is shut off. Some people think we're crazy....I think we're cautious. Better to be proactive than reactive

Even for weekends. It is such a simple precaution to take.  
 
About 20 years ago a neighbour went away for a weekend. Somebody went into his yard, broke a bedroom window, put the garden hose through the window and turned on the water. The hose ran for almost 48 hours. The damage was incredible.  
 
It turned out that the culprit had the wrong address.  
 
Another neighbour had a washing machine hose burst while they were away. Another mess.  
 
Taking 30 seconds to turn the water off seems like a very small price to pay for peace of mind.

Do you shut the water off in the winter as well?

Our water from the house goes to the barn on automatic water system for the animals so can’t turn it off.  
 
We had gone away for the weekend once and ended up coming home early. Ended up the water pipe in the basement had sprung a leak. Water everywhere but we caught it fairly early. Even if water had been off it wouldn’t have mattered because it sprung a leak on the side before the shut off valve which means we couldn’t get it shut off until the plumber got here and fixed it. Luckily he came quickly.  
 
I have now invested in an alarm. It plugs in and has a piece that sits floor level. Should that piece ever get wet it sends my cellphone a message saying water detected

We turn the water off winter and summer, doesn’t matter if we are gone for the weekend or longer......

Yes ,we turn off the water when on vacation,and shut the hot water tanks heater off

If I am gone for more than an evening I always do. Its a good idea to use a valve occasionally anyways as I moved into a house once that the previous owners had never ever turned the valve, and I was home and the hot water tank started leaking but the valve was seized and would not shut off when needed! Luckily it was a farm with a well so I just had to shut the pump down while I did the repairs and replaced the valve but if it was in town then then a utility worker would have had to shut of my street curb which would take time.

If we are gone over night we absolutely turn off our water! Its just not worth the risk.  
 
We had only been in our first home about a week when the hot water tank blew. Apparently our floor sloped away from the drain hole which was only about 1.5 feet from the tank. The water went out the laundry room door, down the hallway and into our family room and this was with us being home! It happened so quickly!  
 
So YES, we ALWAYS turn off our water! Winter and summer.

standard standard h8r said "Even for weekends. It is such a simple precaution to take.     About 20 years ago a neighbour went away for a weekend. Somebody went into his yard, broke a bedroom window, put the garden hose through the window and turned on the water. The hose ran for almost 48 hours. The damage was incredible.     It turned out that the culprit had the wrong address.     Another neighbour had a washing machine hose burst while they were away. Another mess.     Taking 30 seconds to turn the water off seems like a very small price to pay for peace of mind. "

to get in the habit of turning the washer taps off every time you are done the wash.  
 
To avoid disaster I turn the outside water off when done watering the garden. Then no one can get water off you, after all water's not cheap any more!

Is a requirement for home insurance and any potential water damage.  
 
Required to either shut off water or have a neighbor checking house daily when away  
 
We had a crack in the mainline after Xmas and luckily we were home. Could have been a nightmare even with the basement sump on.

It's a good precaution to take and can save a great deal of damage and inconvenience.

I honestly have never thought of doing this. Thanks everyone. I def will be now!

I always thought winter shut off would cause your pipes to freeze?  
 
 
Is it necessary to shut off the HWT heater if the water is off?

There is no difference if your water is shut off or you aren't using any water as there is no water flow (or shouldn't be unless you have a toilet running, for example). If you are having problems with pipes freezing, then you leave a tap on so there is water flow so there hopefully won't be freezing.  
 
Shutting off your HWT is a good idea as well, especially if it is an electric one. If the water level in the tank happens to get too low and it is trying to heat water that isn't there, it could burn out the top element, or bottom one too if the water level gets that low.

Nope. Ours is on all the time. We have someone check the house regularly to satisfy the insurance companies.

Absolutely. I also turn the taps off to the washing machine after use. I once had a hose blow on me. Glad I was home at the time.

Have heard enough horror stories that we’ve been turning ours off for a few years now any time we’re gone overnight or longer. We had a close brush with water disaster earlier this month. The day before we left for a road trip a toilet sprung a leak. We caught it in time before we left to drain it out and avoid any bigger problems until we got back and plumber could help out. If it happened a day later and we were gone the worst case scenario would’ve been the tank emptying out on the bathroom floor. If we left the water on, our house checker would’ve found a much bigger problem when they made their first trip to our house.  
 
Even still, First Call put a pipe from the pan under our hot water tank straight to the drain as a bit of a fail safe. And on top of that we picked up a wifi water sensor when Home Depot was clearing them out. We’ll get a phone alert any time there’s water on the floor in our utility room. Can never be too cautious!

Yeah my hot water tank has a pan under it and it also has a pipe running from pan to the drain.  
 
Turning water off, draining the lines are good and hot water tank off, if there is a dedicated circuit breaker to it.

Yes I always shut off the water when away

Fishin Guy said "Nope. Ours is on all the time. We have someone check the house regularly to satisfy the insurance companies. "

And does your house sitter know were the water shut off is located and how to turn it off.  
As a retired plumber I would say I am speaking from experience. You would be surprised how many people do not know.  
A house sitter once said to me I checked the house yesterday morning and everything was fine. This morning (next day)this is what I found.hwt sprung a leak through the night and he did not know were the shut off was.  
You never know when a leak can start. House sitter or not always turn your water off.