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If you are getting ready for a long vacation, you may want to consider turning off the water in your home. There are many benefits to cutting the water supply, such as preventing water damage, protecting pipes from freezing, and reducing the potential for foundation damage caused by leaks.
Prevent Water Damage
The major reason to turn off the water in your home before you leave for a trip is to prevent water damage. If the water is on and there is a weak area like a worn seal or crack, a continuous leak may start. Depending on how long the water leaks, you could come home to severe damage to walls and flooring.
By shutting off the water and running the remaining water out of your home’s pipes, there is no way for water to escape them and cause damage. Doing this also protects your home from further damage if there is a leak you don’t know about.
Turning off the water means that the plumbing fixtures in your home, like toilets and faucets, don’t drip or malfunction while you are gone. Without a continuous water supply, fixtures like these are effectively disabled, which prevents water from pooling or seeping into areas causing damage.
Prevent Foundation Damage
A plumbing leak may cause damage to your home’s foundation. Moisture destruction to the foundation sometimes results in cracks and the need for restoration. If you notice fractures in stairs, sagging floors, or horizontal cracking, you may face major structural issues in your home. You may also notice cracks around doors, windows, and where walls and ceilings meet. Eliminating the water in your home gives you peace of mind that your home’s foundation won’t take on damage because of a water leak.
Protect Pipes From Freezing
Turning off the water in your home during winter is part of a solution to prevent your home’s pipes from freezing. While you are away, shut off the water supply, and then have a plumber drain the system in your home. With no water in the pipes, they aren’t able to freeze.
If there’s been a freeze while you were gone, you should slowly turn on faucets and plumbing fixtures. Increasing the water pressure in the pipes too fast may cause pipes to burst if you do so right after freezing temperatures.
Save on Utility Bills
If there is a leak in your home that you don’t know about, your water bill will show evidence of water use while no one is in your home. If a leak starts while you are gone, you may notice that the water usage for your home increased while it was vacant. Another way water usage increases while you are away is a running toilet. Water continuously running in a toilet may use up to 200 gallons daily, depending on the type of toilet. One of the best ways to be sure these things aren’t happening in your absence is to shut off the water.
Protect Against Mold Growth
Turning off the water in your home may not directly prevent mold growth, but it does prevent leaks, which may cause mold growth while you are gone. It only takes mold a day or two to start growing after water damage. If the leak is continuous, mold can grow in hidden areas like floors and walls, becoming a health hazard.
Stop Pests Drawn to Water
Wet conditions attract many pests. With a water leak, the chances of attracting pests into your home are higher. Some pests that may come into your home because of added moisture are rats and mice, flies, beetles, termites, cockroaches, crickets, mosquitoes, and more. Many pests don’t take long to multiply and spread throughout the home even more if it’s vacant.
Minimize Damage From Appliance Failures
Leaving the water on during your absence increases the risk of appliance failures, which may cause major water damage. Whether it’s a washing machine, dishwasher, or refrigerator water line, shutting off the water in your home may help limit any water damage from old hoses or loose fittings failing while you are away.
It’s important to note that if you shut off the water in your home and your refrigerator has an ice maker, you should also shut it off while you are away.
Safeguard Electrical Systems
If your home has a major leak or burst pipe, the water may reach electrical wiring, electrical components in appliances, and even electrical panels in basements. Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, and this creates a major safety hazard for you and your household. Short circuits and electrical fires are possible if water comes in contact with electricity. Moisture in walls, ceilings, and floors can lead to increased humidity, which may affect the safety and performance of electrical outlets. Dampness may also lead to corrosion of electrical components, which may degrade wires and reduce the lifespan of electrical systems while increasing the likelihood of faults.
Protect Personal Items From Damage
While we’ve focused almost solely on the structure of your home and the damage if you don’t shut off your home’s water while on vacation, we need to mention the tragedy of losing personal items to water damage. Leaks or bursts in pipes occur unexpectedly, and if your home is empty when it happens, the damage may be extensive. By turning off the water, you eliminate the possibility of leaks that harm your valuables.
Water damage is very destructive to personal items like books, photographs, important documents, and other paper-based materials. These items absorb moisture quickly, leading to stains, warping, and sometimes irreparable damage. Books, for example, swell when soaked and the pages stick together. The ink in a book can also smudge and run, which leaves the book in poor condition if you do dry it out. You may also have family heirlooms and keepsakes from your family’s history, which become damaged and even completely ruined if there is exposure to water for a long time.
Furnishings are also vulnerable to water damage. Wood furniture swells, cracks, or warps when exposed to excessive amounts of moisture. Upholstered items like living room chairs and couches absorb water, which easily leads to mold growth and foul odors. Materials may also break down, especially foam and other stuffing materials. Leather is usually not salvageable after sitting in water as it becomes brittle, discolored, and loses its texture.
If your home has carpet or rugs, these materials can easily take on mold and mildew. Standing water may also ruin artwork and electronics, such as gaming systems, sculptures, and musical instruments. Shutting off the water gives you peace of mind and helps you enjoy your vacation!
Contact Us for Plumbing Services
At On Time Experts in Dallas, Texas, we provide excellent plumbing services, as well as slab leak detection, sewer pipe repair, sump pumps, and drain cleaning services for homes in the area. Our friendly team also provides cooling, heating, and air quality services. Contact On Time Experts for more information today!
