Memorial Day weekend and summer are around the corner. Planning a vacation? Don’t forget to turn off your home’s main water line before leaving. Murphy’s Law states that in the worst things will happen during the most unexpected or inconvenient times. Few things would be worse than returning home from an amazing summer vacation to a flooded home.
How could your home flood, you ask?
- ice maker water line
- toilet water line
- cracked toilet
- fridge water dispenser
The list goes on. Considering that you are gone for days during a vacation, all it takes is the smallest of cracks in any water supply line to flood a home over that span of days.
How to prevent water lines from flooding your home
- Turn off the home’s main water supply. This is usually a single valve, often located behind a wall plate cover in a basement.
- What good is turning off the water line if you still have a bunch of water sitting in the home’s water system? Drain any sitting water from existing toilets and pipes by flushing toilets and turning on faucets. Start at the highest floor of your home and work your way down.
- Depending on your length of absence, some people may even choose to drain their water heater.
Now you have peace of mind while you’re away from home. With your home’s main water supply turned off you’ll be certain to return home to a dry house, just the way you left it. When you’re ready to turn on your home’s water simply turn the main water supply back on. Do so gradually so that you don’t stress the water lines by introducing too much water too quickly.