All homeowners should consider turning off their water supply before leaving on a vacation. Doing so can help to prevent or minimize damage caused by a leak, pipe burst, or another plumbing emergency.
If you’re like most homeowners, you’re thinking about what you need to do to protect your home while you’re on vacation. Whether you’re leaving for only a few days or a few weeks, you want to be sure you won’t have any unfortunate surprises upon your return.
Shut Off Water to Prevent a Plumbing Disaster
Most homeowners think about minimizing the risks of burglary or fire, but plumbing disasters aren’t as commonly considered. When you aren’t around to use water, nothing should really happen with your home’s plumbing system. The water that’s ready to be released from your taps should sit there until someone turns on a faucet or flushes a toilet.
All of that water, however, is under pressure from your main water supply. If there’s a leak or pipe burst somewhere in your home, water will flow nonstop. To prevent this, locate and use your home’s water shut-off valve just before you leave for vacation. If there’s an accident, this will prevent more water from being introduced into your home’s plumbing system and limit the amount of water that can flow from a leak or pipe burst.
Where Is My Home’s Water Shut-Off Valve?
Locating your home’s water shut-off valve shouldn’t be too difficult. You’ll probably find it near your home’s water meter, which can be located inside your home if you live in a colder climate and outside your home if you live in a warmer area.
The shut-off valve itself will look like a lever or knob. Engage the valve to stop water from continuing to flow into your home.
What About the Water That’s Already in My Home?
Once you engage the water shut-off valve, there will be some water left in your home’s plumbing system. To get rid of it, turn all of your taps on and flush all of your toilets. This will drain most of the water from your home so you can worry even less about a leak or pipe burst – just be sure to turn off the taps as soon as you’re done!
Will Turning Off My Home’s Water Affect My Sprinklers?
It shouldn’t as long as you use the valve that only controls water flowing into your home. There’s probably another valve that controls water flow to your entire property, which you should leave open to ensure your landscape irrigation features continue to work while you’re away.
That said, make sure all of your sprinklers are in good shape and your lawn irrigation system doesn’t have any leaks of its own!
Have a Plumbing Emergency? We Can Help!
If you are looking for advice to help prevent a plumbing disaster or need help with an ongoing emergency, don’t hesitate to reach out to Carter Quality Plumbing, LLC for help! Our expert plumbers have the experience and knowledge necessary to restore your home’s plumbing system to working condition and prevent future failures.
Call (803) 998-2270 or contact us online for assistance today!