Feb7

By Dave Bangar

Should You Turn Off Your Water Before Leaving On Vacation?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Steps to Take When Leaving Your Home For an Extended Period

Going on vacation should be an exciting and relaxing time, but when you are a homeowner, leaving your house for several days, or even weeks, can be stressful. 

The main reason homeowners feel stressed about being away from home is the fear of something bad happening while they are gone. This can include a fire, natural disaster, flooding, or other emergency situation. 

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to prevent flooding and water damage in your home while you are on vacation. This includes, but is not limited to, turning off your water.

In this article, we will explain the importance of turning off your water before you go on vacation along with some other steps you can take to protect your home during your absence.

The Risk of Water Damage While You Are Away

If it seems like bad things always happen when you are away from home, there’s a reason for this. 

From packing to planning an itinerary and booking flights, preparing for a vacation takes up a lot of headspace. So much so that people often tune out other things going on around them.

There could be signs that something is going on with your plumbing but you’re so busy preparing for your vacation that you completely overlook them. Then, while you’re away, a pipe could burst or leak and you would have no idea. By the time you get home, you could be walking into a disaster zone. In fact, according to one study,  80% of homeowners ignore water leaks when going on vacation and only 22% actually shut off their water before they leave.

Do I Really Need To Turn Off My Water Before Going on Vacation?

There’s a good chance that your home and your plumbing will be perfectly fine while you are away. But considering how costly and burdensome it can be to deal with water damage in your home, do you really want to take that risk? Even if a minor leak occurs, it can dramatically increase your water bill, which is also not something you want to deal with after a nice, relaxing vacation.

How to Turn Off Your Water

When shutting off the water supply in your home, the first step should be to locate the water supply valve. This is typically located in the basement or a crawl space under your home. When you find the valve, you will see a control that looks like a wheel or a lever handle. To turn off the water, either turn the wheel or pull the lever into the closed position. 

Other Ways To Prevent Water Damage While On Vacation

Along with turning off your water, here are some other steps you should take to minimize the risk of plumbing issues while on vacation. 

Drain Your Pipes

If you are going on an extended vacation, or you are taking a trip during the winter time, it is highly recommended that you drain all of the water from your plumbing to prevent your pipes from freezing and/or bursting.

Look For Any Leaks or Plumbing Issues

As we previously mentioned, plumbing issues often get ignored in the lead-up to a vacation. For this reason, we recommend taking some time to look for any leaks or other issues at least a week before you leave for any extended trip. This ensures you will have time to call a residential plumber and have them come in to fix the issue before your vacation.

Check Your Sump Pump

A sump pump helps to prevent your home from flooding during heavy rain. Before you go on vacation, check to make sure that your sump pump is working properly by emptying a bucket of water into the basin. If it’s able to pump all the water out, you’re good to go.

Don’t Shut Off Your Furnace in the Winter

If you are vacationing in the wintertime and live in a cold climate, maintain a reasonable temperature while you are away to prevent your pipes from freezing.

Contact a Residential Plumber

If you are concerned about any plumbing issues in your Kelowna home, they should always be resolved before leaving on any type of vacation. 

At My Plumber Kelowna, we have a team of licensed, trained, and highly experienced Kelowna-based residential plumbers who can diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve your plumbing issues quickly. This means you can still go on vacation and not worry about anything happening while you are gone. 

Give us a call today at 250-601-0000 or fill out a form on our website and we will be in touch ASAP.