Plumbing 101: Plumbing Tips When Leaving Your Home For Long
Periods of Time
Palm
Beach County is a beautiful place to live. So much so that many people have
second and third homes here. A Common question I always get asked is “What do I
do with my water when I leave for weeks or months at a time?” This is a great
question and one that should not be taken lightly. The average cost per water damage
claim is well over $15000. The amount of claims seem to be rising each year as
well. There are many factors as to why that is but for many owners these
potential nightmares can be avoided. The biggest tip I can give an owner to
avoid unexpected water damage is to know the basics to your plumbing system.
Knowing how the water runs throughout your house can be vital in preparing to
leave your home for long periods of time.
Find
out where the main water feed is coming into the house and locate the main shut
off valve. The main shut off valve is what controls the flow of water to your
entire house. In Palm Beach County they are usually located on the exterior of
the house or near the water heater. Not only should you locate the main shut
off valve but you should test it to make sure it’s closing all the way off,
allowing no water to pass. This is very important because when you leave for
extensive periods of time you should always turn off the water to your home. In
doing this, your plumbing system only has what can fill the lines and that’s
it. You can take it one step further by bleeding all the lines once the water
is off. Bleeding the lines is when you relieve the pressure in the lines
through fixtures throughout the house. A ½”water line produces an average of 14
Gallons Per Minute or 840 Gallons Per Hour under 20-100Psi. That is a lot of
water in a quick amount of time. You can see why water damage cost are
staggering because of the amount of water that can fill your home is such a
small amount of time.
Lastly, I like to suggest to turn
off the power or gas to your water heater. For electric heaters the reason I
say this is because a water heater needs to be filled for it work properly. If
the tank is empty or partially filled, that creates an electrical issue. The
power to the heater can cause a breaker to trip or even worse, an electrical fire.
A gas line to a heater, much like a water line, can have a leak so it is always
good to turn the gas off as well.
When turning the water back on to
your home, always open the valve very slowly. Palm Beach County has anywhere
between 65-80psi, which is a lot of pressure. Introducing water back into empty
lines should be done with caution. Make sure, once the water is back on, to
check all your water fed appliances and plumbing fixtures. Make sure there are
no leaks and that nothing is running. Once you have done that then it is time
to enjoy your beautiful home once again.
