Your Plumbing Needs a Vacation, Too!
A ball valve in the ‘off’ and ‘on’ position.
If you and your family are going away for the holidays, we recommend that before you leave town, you shut off the water. This will prevent a potential plumbing leak from causing thousands of dollars in unchecked damage while you’re away. Making some preparations before you leave and having an understanding of how your system works will help prevent a leak and other types of damage to your home. Here is what you need to know:
Where is my shut-off?
A ball valve runs parallel to the pip when it’s open.
Plumbing codes require homes to have a shut-off valve inside the garage before the pressure regulator. The valve will be either a gate valve or a ball valve. If you have a gate valve, we recommended that you don’t turn it off. A plumber can replace it with a ball valve, or you may use tools to turn your water off at the street. If not exercised often, gate valves may leak when you use them and could cause a leak while you are away. They may also get stuck in the off position when turned off and may not allow you to turn them back on. A ball valve is much more reliable.
If you have an electric water heater
Before shutting off the water main, take a moment to shut the electric water heater off. Otherwise, if the water level falls below the heating element, it could burn out. Shutting off the unit prevents the possibility of having to spend the money to replace a burned-out heating element. Look for an on/off switch at the water heater, or shut off the breaker in the main electrical box. It will be a 30 amp fuse.
If you have a gas water heater
A gas water heater should have a vacation or pilot mode, located on the gas control valve to the water heater. DO not turn off the gas line that goes to the water heater! Otherwise, you’ll have to relight the pilot light or call the plumber to do so. If the main water line isn’t shut off, turn off the cold water supply to the heater. If there is a leak, the only water available will be what is inside the water heater tank and the lines.
A tankless water heater
If you have a tankless water heater, then shutting off the main water supply to the house is all that is needed.
Additional tips
We recommend that once every year, you ‘exercise’ your angle stops. The angle stops are the shut-off valves below sinks in cabinets. Turning them off and then back on will keep your valves from becoming corrosive and sticking, which can prevent them from being able to shut off in the future. In some cases, you may not have angle stops underneath their fixtures. In this case, they most likely have a ManaBloc plumbing system. A customer should not touch a ManaBloc distribution manifold to isolate a leak. They can be tricky to turn off. If they break, it can cause a significant leak where the entire system may need to be replaced. ManaBloc systems are not always readily available, depending on the model and size. Talk to your plumber about it.
Frontier Plumbing of Las Vegas is a full-service commercial and residential plumbing company offering a full spectrum of plumbing services. We are determined to exceed your expectations! Call 702-602-6705 today!