Summer Plumbing Safety

Most of us go on some sort of vacation during the warm months.  We look forward to it as the trees turn green and the temperature warms up.  There are a million things to think about when planning time away from home.  Alerting neighbors to keep an eye out, temporarily stopping your mail service, ensuring time set lights and motion sensor lights are working – all of these are great security measures to think about when leaving our homes for extended periods.  But what about your water supply?

Shutting off your main water valve:

If you are unsure of where your main water shut off valve is located, here’s your chance to change that.  Most water shut off valves are located near your water meter.  In some cases, they are installed closer to the home.  In ANY case, locate your main water valve and turn it to the off position when leaving for extended periods. When you are home to notice a leak or drop in water pressure, a major mess can be quickly stopped, but when away from your home, one small issue can be detrimental to your home if you are gone for multiple days.  Have no idea where your main water valve is? We can help with that as well and we promise, you’re not the only one.

Hot water heaters:

Need to leave your main water valve on for irrigation purposes?  Check your water heater to see if there is a “Vacation mode” or at the very least, turn your hot water heater off by the main breaker so there is no energy wasted while you are away.  What’s more, if you shut off your main water supply and water leaks or siphons out of the water heater tank by any means, the heating element could burn out if it continues heating an empty tank.  So take that into consideration if you are turning off the main shut off valve, make sure the water heater is off as well.

By turning off your main water valve, switching off other appliances such as the ice maker or ensuring energy efficient lights are being used and the thermostat is set to vacation mode – You can save money this vacation while you’re enjoying the sun. 

NCPlumbingServices.com is a division of NCWaterHeaters.com. We proudly serve our residential and commercial customers in Raleigh, NC and surrounding areas. Give us a call today at (919) 868-3585.