Tip for Vacationers: Turn Off the Water

Planning to be out of town? Take some advice from both your plumber and your insurance agent: Turn off the water to your house before you go. That way, you prevent one of the saddest and most common horror stories in the business: Returning vacationer walks into a flood as water pours from a burst water pipe.

Very few people take this small but important step before leaving town. Even in a relatively new house, water lines (especially flexible lines that connect under a faucet) can burst at any time without warning. In earthquake country, the possibility is even greater.

Most homes are built with manual water main valves that control flow into the house without interrupting outside sprinkler or irrigation lines.

Look around the front of the house, especially near the front door, for a pipe coming out of the ground with a palm-sized handle projecting from it. If you cannot find it, go to your water meter at the curb and follow the shortest possible imaginary line from it toward the house. You will probably find the water-main valve at the house near the end of your line.

If you still cannot find it, it may be worth having a plumber help you. The valve may be buried somewhere or, as is the case in many older homes, there might be no shut-off at the house. In that case, it is generally worth having one installed (and is required by most city building codes).

Once you find the valve, test it by turning the handle clockwise fully, then check that the water is off inside the house while your outdoor landscaping irrigation still works.

If your lawn and garden watering shuts off simultaneously, you should consult a plumber.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, turn off hot and cold faucets to any washing machine whenever it is not in use, because the hoses on it are very susceptible to rupture when they are left under pressure. Replace them routinely every other year to be extra safe.

Gary Abrams is a general contractor who has written on home improvement topics for The Times since 1989. Questions and comments can be sent to P.O. Box 711, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91319. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.