Should You Shut Off Your Water Before You Go on Vacation?

Should You Shut Off Your Water Before You Go on Vacation?

Before we head off on vacation, most of us will make an effort to go around the house and turn off the power to appliances, make sure that lights aren’t left on and check that we haven’t left any windows or doors open or unlocked.

We’ll also put lights on timers, ask neighbours or family to come and check the post or even ask them to come and open and close the curtains.

However, how many of us think about turning off the water before we leave? It seems, more of us should if we want to avoid having to call in an emergency plumber on our return.

Reduce the Chance of Water Damage from a Burst Pipe Spring and summer herald the beginning of the holiday season, and the time when we start to take short and long trips out of town, maybe to see relatives or to spend a couple of weeks or longer relaxing somewhere exotic.

And the last thing we think about is the possibility of our house flooding from a burst pipe. Of course, the chance of this happening is likely at any time of the year, but if you leave your house unoccupied for any length of time, if the worst does happen then the damage can be more extensive.

For example, according to an emergency plumber in Nelson Bay, one of his customers was alerted to the fact that he had a burst pipe while he was thousands of miles away visiting relatives. Needless to say, by the time the fault was noticed the water damage was disastrous.

Shut Off Your Water Valve If You’re Planning to Be Away for More Than One Day For this reason, many plumbers recommend that you shut off the water to your property when you’re going to be away for more than a day at a time – so yes that means even for weekend trips. Your main water shut-off valve can be found in various locations in your home depending on the style of construction.

So, if you’re not sure where your valve is, you may want to ask your local plumber or even a neighbour if their house is in the same style and design as yours.

Once you’ve located your shut-off valve, you need to check how it operates and that it’s in good working order. You don’t want to find that it’s faulty on the day you’re planning to go away.

Find an Emergency Plumber Shutting off your water while you’re away will give you extra peace of mind that when you return home your property will be as you left it. However, if you do experience a burst water pipe, having a reliable plumber you can call on will save precious time so that water damage can be minimised.

So why not take a few minutes now to locate an emergency plumber in Port Stephens or wherever you may live? Who knows, you may need them one day!