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A leak in an occupied house is a nuisance. The same leak in a house that is empty for a week is a ruined floor, a wet basement and a claim. Almost all of that risk goes away with a short routine on the way out.
For any trip of a few days or more
- Turn off the main water valve. This is the single most effective step. With the main closed, a burst hose or a failed fitting can only release the water already in the pipes. Then open a tap for a moment to relieve the pressure. If your main valve is stiff or you are not sure it works, see our guide to finding and testing it, and have a plumber replace it before you rely on it.
If you cannot shut off the whole house, because a sprinkler system or a house sitter needs water, close the valves to the washing machine, the dishwasher, the ice maker and each toilet instead.
- Turn the water heater down. Gas heaters have a Vacation setting; on an electric heater, switch off the breaker. There is no sense heating water for nobody. If you have shut the main off, a gas heater on Vacation is fine, but do not leave an electric heater switched on with the water off.
- Check the sump pump by pouring in a bucket of water, and look at where it discharges. Storms do not wait for you to come home.
- Walk round with a flashlight. Under every sink, around each toilet, at the water heater and the boiler. A drip you notice now is a drip you can deal with now.
In winter
- Leave the heat on, at no lower than 55°F. A frozen pipe in an empty house is the classic disaster, and it is not worth the saving.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, so that warm air reaches the pipes.
- Ask someone to look in every few days if the trip is long, and to know where the main valve is. If the power fails for long in a cold spell, a house can freeze in a day or two.
- For a long absence, a month or more in winter, have a plumber drain the system and put antifreeze in the traps. Many Rockland houses that stand empty each winter are winterized this way.
Gadgets that earn their keep
- Water leak alarms beside the water heater, under the kitchen sink and behind the washing machine. The wireless kind send a message to your phone.
- A smart water shut-off valve, fitted on the main by a plumber, closes the water automatically when a sensor detects a leak, or from your phone. If you travel often, it is the best money you can spend on plumbing.
- A temperature sensor that alerts you if the house goes cold.
When you get back
Open the main valve slowly, then open a tap on each floor to let out the air. Turn the water heater back up. Listen for a minute for anything that sounds like running water when nothing is on. Flush each toilet, and run water in every drain to refill the traps, which will have started to dry out.
When to call a plumber
- A main valve that will not close fully or is stiff
- Fitting a smart shut-off valve
- Winterizing a house that will stand empty
- Anything that was dripping when you left
Find a licensed plumber near your town.