I keep hearing these horror stories about frozen pipes, burst washer
hoses, etc. Scary stuff! So we've decided to shut off the main water
valve in our house whenever we go away for more than a day. We plan to
do this both in summer and in winter.

But I'm not sure what the proper procedure is. Before our last trip, I
turned off the main water valve (the one nearest the water meter) and
then flipped the emergency switch on the water heater (oil fired) so
it wouldn't come on while we were away. I thought we were supposed to
open a faucet to relieve pressure on the system, but when I opened the
kitchen faucet, the water just kept coming out--I expected it to stop
flowing right away, and it didn't, it just kept running. (It was a
single lever faucet--the only kind we have in the house--though I
tried to run only the cold water.) I was afraid we might end up
draining the water heater, so I turned off the faucet again. I don't
know whether it would have stopped running on its own if I'd waited
longer.

So what's the right way to do this? Should we keep a faucet open when
the main valve is turned off? Or will that drain our hot water heater?

Incidentally, I do understand that the *safest* thing in winter would
be to turn off the water, drain the pipes and HWH, put antifreeze in
traps, etc., in case the heat goes out. But realistically speaking,
we're unlikely to do all that every time we go away for a couple of
days, and for longer trips, we arrange for someone to come and check
on the house. All I'm trying to do here is limit the amount of
potential damage in case of a pipe break, etc., while causing minimal
inconvenience.

Pat McC. wrote:

I keep hearing these horror stories about frozen pipes, burst washer
hoses, etc. Scary stuff! So we've decided to shut off the main water
valve in our house whenever we go away for more than a day. We plan to
do this both in summer and in winter.

But I'm not sure what the proper procedure is. Before our last trip, I
turned off the main water valve (the one nearest the water meter) and
then flipped the emergency switch on the water heater (oil fired) so
it wouldn't come on while we were away. I thought we were supposed to
open a faucet to relieve pressure on the system, but when I opened the
kitchen faucet, the water just kept coming out--I expected it to stop
flowing right away, and it didn't, it just kept running. (It was a
single lever faucet--the only kind we have in the house--though I
tried to run only the cold water.) I was afraid we might end up
draining the water heater, so I turned off the faucet again. I don't
know whether it would have stopped running on its own if I'd waited
longer.

So what's the right way to do this? Should we keep a faucet open when
the main valve is turned off? Or will that drain our hot water heater?

Incidentally, I do understand that the *safest* thing in winter would
be to turn off the water, drain the pipes and HWH, put antifreeze in
traps, etc., in case the heat goes out. But realistically speaking,
we're unlikely to do all that every time we go away for a couple of
days, and for longer trips, we arrange for someone to come and check
on the house. All I'm trying to do here is limit the amount of
potential damage in case of a pipe break, etc., while causing minimal
inconvenience.

You're doing it correctly. It's very possible that the Main valve
does not close completely or is worn out.

Turn it off, open the faucet nad stick your ear by the valve.
If you hear *any* noise, the valve is leaking. You may also
be able to see the small hand on the meter moving.

If it *is* leaking, it is not a DIY job to repair/replace
as it requires shutting off the curb stop, which in most
cases is the prvince of the utility. YMMV

(Running the water from the faucet will not drain the heater...)

Jim

Pat McC. wrote:
I keep hearing these horror stories about frozen pipes, burst washer
hoses, etc. Scary stuff! So we've decided to shut off the main water
valve in our house whenever we go away for more than a day. We plan to
do this both in summer and in winter.

But I'm not sure what the proper procedure is. Before our last trip, I
turned off the main water valve (the one nearest the water meter) and
then flipped the emergency switch on the water heater (oil fired) so
it wouldn't come on while we were away. I thought we were supposed to
open a faucet to relieve pressure on the system, but when I opened the
kitchen faucet, the water just kept coming out--I expected it to stop
flowing right away, and it didn't, it just kept running. (It was a
single lever faucet--the only kind we have in the house--though I
tried to run only the cold water.) I was afraid we might end up
draining the water heater, so I turned off the faucet again. I don't
know whether it would have stopped running on its own if I'd waited
longer.

So what's the right way to do this? Should we keep a faucet open when
the main valve is turned off? Or will that drain our hot water heater?

Incidentally, I do understand that the *safest* thing in winter would
be to turn off the water, drain the pipes and HWH, put antifreeze in
traps, etc., in case the heat goes out. But realistically speaking,
we're unlikely to do all that every time we go away for a couple of
days, and for longer trips, we arrange for someone to come and check
on the house. All I'm trying to do here is limit the amount of
potential damage in case of a pipe break, etc., while causing minimal
inconvenience.

Speedy is correct, but I think are doing over kill.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Thanks for your response, Jim. I checked the main valve (it's the type
with a lever handle not a round one) and it seems to be working fine.
After closing it I tried leaving the kitchen faucet open for a few
minutes and the flow finally slowed to a trickle and then stopped. I
guess I just wasn't waiting long enough for the residual pressure in
the system to dissipate.

Thanks again,
Pat



"Speedy Jim" wrote in message
...
Pat McC. wrote:

I keep hearing these horror stories about frozen pipes, burst
washer
hoses, etc. Scary stuff! So we've decided to shut off the main
water
valve in our house whenever we go away for more than a day. We
plan to
do this both in summer and in winter.

But I'm not sure what the proper procedure is. Before our last
trip, I
turned off the main water valve (the one nearest the water meter)
and
then flipped the emergency switch on the water heater (oil fired)
so
it wouldn't come on while we were away. I thought we were supposed
to
open a faucet to relieve pressure on the system, but when I opened
the
kitchen faucet, the water just kept coming out--I expected it to
stop
flowing right away, and it didn't, it just kept running. (It was a
single lever faucet--the only kind we have in the house--though I
tried to run only the cold water.) I was afraid we might end up
draining the water heater, so I turned off the faucet again. I
don't
know whether it would have stopped running on its own if I'd
waited
longer.

So what's the right way to do this? Should we keep a faucet open
when
the main valve is turned off? Or will that drain our hot water
heater?

Incidentally, I do understand that the *safest* thing in winter
would
be to turn off the water, drain the pipes and HWH, put antifreeze
in
traps, etc., in case the heat goes out. But realistically
speaking,
we're unlikely to do all that every time we go away for a couple
of
days, and for longer trips, we arrange for someone to come and
check
on the house. All I'm trying to do here is limit the amount of
potential damage in case of a pipe break, etc., while causing
minimal
inconvenience.

You're doing it correctly. It's very possible that the Main valve
does not close completely or is worn out.

Turn it off, open the faucet nad stick your ear by the valve.
If you hear *any* noise, the valve is leaking. You may also
be able to see the small hand on the meter moving.

If it *is* leaking, it is not a DIY job to repair/replace
as it requires shutting off the curb stop, which in most
cases is the prvince of the utility. YMMV

(Running the water from the faucet will not drain the heater...)

Jim

Thank you for your response, Joseph. Please see my response to Speedy
Jim. I'm not sure, though, why you would consider shutting off the
water to be overkill. It takes but a minute to turn off the main valve
and the water heater and turn them back on when we return. We've had
so many plumbing problems in this house that it's worth it to me not
to have to worry about a flood while we're away!

Thanks again,
Pat

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Pat McC. wrote:
I keep hearing these horror stories about frozen pipes, burst
washer
hoses, etc. Scary stuff! So we've decided to shut off the main
water
valve in our house whenever we go away for more than a day. We
plan to
do this both in summer and in winter.

But I'm not sure what the proper procedure is. Before our last
trip, I
turned off the main water valve (the one nearest the water meter)
and
then flipped the emergency switch on the water heater (oil fired)
so
it wouldn't come on while we were away. I thought we were supposed
to
open a faucet to relieve pressure on the system, but when I opened
the
kitchen faucet, the water just kept coming out--I expected it to
stop
flowing right away, and it didn't, it just kept running. (It was a
single lever faucet--the only kind we have in the house--though I
tried to run only the cold water.) I was afraid we might end up
draining the water heater, so I turned off the faucet again. I
don't
know whether it would have stopped running on its own if I'd
waited
longer.

So what's the right way to do this? Should we keep a faucet open
when
the main valve is turned off? Or will that drain our hot water
heater?

Incidentally, I do understand that the *safest* thing in winter
would
be to turn off the water, drain the pipes and HWH, put antifreeze
in
traps, etc., in case the heat goes out. But realistically
speaking,
we're unlikely to do all that every time we go away for a couple
of
days, and for longer trips, we arrange for someone to come and
check
on the house. All I'm trying to do here is limit the amount of
potential damage in case of a pipe break, etc., while causing
minimal
inconvenience.

Speedy is correct, but I think are doing over kill.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Pat McC. wrote:
Thank you for your response, Joseph. Please see my response to Speedy
Jim. I'm not sure, though, why you would consider shutting off the
water to be overkill. It takes but a minute to turn off the main valve
and the water heater and turn them back on when we return. We've had
so many plumbing problems in this house that it's worth it to me not
to have to worry about a flood while we're away!

Thanks again,
Pat


If it makes you happy, go ahead. The kind of problems that you would be
preventing are very rare, assuming you take normal care. I just don't think
it is worth it. Some men wear both braces and a belt, I generally think one
or the other is enough and often I don't bother with either. Never had a
problem ... yet.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math