A (possibly) money-saving tip when going on vacation

This subject came up in the Shoutbox . . .

TIP: If you are going away and leaving your house unattended, turn the water off at the main valve. This is the source for both hot and cold water in your home.

I frequently watch my neighbor's house when they go on vacation, going over each evening to check it out. One evening I went over and water was running out from under the garage door. The water line that feeds the refrigerator had broken and almost the entire house was flooded with about a quarter-inch of water. A real mess. I shut off their main water valve, called my neighbors, and they directed me to call a water damage firm which came over, removed standing water (although I had done a fair amount of this with a mop and bucket), and started the drying procedure. Now, their insurance covered the repairs, but it was a real PITA for them, ignoring the fact they had to return from vacation early.

Turning your water off is especially important if you live in a cold climate and leaving your house unattended for several days in winter. If the power goes, your heat might go with it, then frozen pipes are a possibility.

TIP 2: An extra precaution in winter. After you turn your main water valve off, open an indoor faucet to let out the trapped water which can still be under pressure. That way if your heat goes, and your indoor water pipes freeze, there is less chance the pipes will burst. With the main valve shut, there won't be any flooding but a burst pipe in a wall can be expensive and time-consuming to fix.

Also, if it is practical, you can turn the electric off at the main breaker for the duration of your vacation

But wouldn’t the house be in darkness then indicating to every little punk in the neighborhood that the house is empty?

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

That's true.

I often forget that I live in a rural neighborhood where neighbors keep an eye on each other's houses. And 90% of my neighbors are gun owners. Not too many "punks" wandering around here at night -- it wouldn't be a healthy pastime.

For the record, I rarely turn my power off because it would require emptying the refrigerators and freezer. But the neighbor two lots over (5 acre lots) turns his power off when going on extended vacations.

Also for the record, I've lived in a couple of pretty hard neighborhoods when I was young and single, so I understand your reference to "every little punk in the neighborhood".

Too much hassle to cut the power off, and then I wouldn’t have access to my surveillance cameras, but cutting off the water is not a bad idea. Just make sure you also cut off the hot water heater or put it in vacation mode (turn it down).

If you got an older water heater like me I say just turn it down. Last thing you want to do is turn it off and then it not turn back on when you get home.