Should I turn off the main water before a trip?
Turning the main water off can backfire if the shutoff valve itself breaks and starts leaking the morning of your flight. Taking this step also requires managing the hot water heater and water softener, which prevents people who aren't handy from attempting it for the first time before leaving.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1using water sensors in the basement and bathroomsDid this help you?
- 2considering getting additional sensors for the kitchen and fridge instead of shutting off the main waterDid this help you?
- 3Leaving the water on and relying on homeowners insurance if a leak happens.Did this help you?
- 4Turning off the main water supply and opening the lowest faucet to relieve pressure.Did this help you?
- 5Having a friend, family member, or neighbor check in on the house every other day.Did this help you?
- 6Testing all the shutoff valves a few weeks before the trip to ensure they don't break right before leaving.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My main worry is I had turned off a toilet in this house and the shutoff started to leak. I had to stay up all night waiting for the plumber.”source ↗
“I don’t want to shut off the main and then have it start to leak the morning of my flight. We will be gone about two weeks”source ↗
“Is it a good idea to close all the valves at the toilet to prevent leaks? We’ve never turned off the main supply for more than a few hours for work etc and def not handy enough to turn off hot water heater/water softener too if we turn off main supply.”source ↗
“I think trying something we’ve never done before is also not a good idea lol”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2How to coordinate home repairs when you are away
- 6Water company says we have a leak but we can't find it
- 3Sink keeps overflowing while away from home