Originally Posted by
Mike Kreinhop
Wow! There must be some really bad plumbing installations if people are paranoid about leaving a dwelling unattended for more than a day. I don't turn off any of my utilities, regardless of how long we're out of the area, especially in the cold months. When we are away for more than a week, I have someone come by randomly to clear the mail box, but I never turn off any of the utilities. I'm sure coming home after a long vacation to a house that resembles a U-boat that's been hit would be a big disappointment, but that's why I have great insurance. I would rather live with the knowledge that I'm fully protected than worry constantly about a pipe or seal failing.
Around here, you occasionally hear about someone who went away on vacation and had a flexible hose - perhaps connected to a toilet - leak. If you were home, you'd notice the leak fairly quickly and fix it but if you're not there that leak can put out a lot of water over a week or so - and cause a lot of damage.
It's not a high probability event. I went for years never turning off my water when I left for vacation and never had a problem. But if you do have a leak, the damage is pretty expensive so I now turn my water off when I leave for vacation. Just an abundance of caution.
Mike
[People I know who did have a leak while they were gone had to move out of the house while the house was dried out and things were repaired (such as flooring replaced). Some things can't be repaired until you get it well dried out. For example, a house with raised flooring (has a crawl space) has a wooden floor and that wooden floor can take quite a while to dry out.]
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