"Bubba" wrote in message
...
Every time we leave the house for a few weeks, I have visions of coming
back
to a house that has been flooded from either a burst water heater or two
(in
the attic) or burst pipes from a freeze.

As a precaution,I have considered turning off the water at the outside
shut-off and draining the pipes inside by opening the faucets.

What disasters lurk in this procedure? Can I just return home, turn on
the
water and sputter the air out of the pipes, or is there some fundamental
embuggerance that I am overlooking? Will this require re-lighting the gas
in the water heater?


Turn off the water at your main shut off. Open a faucet, the lowest in the
system is preferable, to relieve the pressure and drain off some water.
Turn off your hot water heater by shutting of the gas. Yes, there is some
sputtering in the water line when you first open the main valve and open
some faucets but no big deal. It takes nothing to relight the hot water
pilot. This is the safest way to leave your house for any extended period
of time. I do it even for over nights. Cold weather (below freezing temps)
protection requires a bit more things to do.
MLD