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Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,994
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,994 |
Earlier this week I drove past a neighbor's house with water running out of their garage. Obliviously a plumbing failure of some sort. I contacted my neighbor to let him know. He was in Florida on vacation (who goes to Florida this time of year?) Anyhow, he said he would call a plumber. Because I have a water key I offered to at least stop the bleeding. After that, it took two days to make entry into the house as the plumber declined to kick down the front door to make entry.
Me neighbor called back yesterday to thank me and to let me know it was a washing machine water line that failed. Most likely they had somewhere between 2,000 to 3,500 gallons of water in the house before running outside. I suggested that they install a water detector and automatic water shutoff valve. He had never heard of an automatic shutoff valve.
This is the second neighbor who had experienced a plumbing failure and lots of very expensive water damage. Apparently, not too many folks have bothered to install them.
I have installed the StreamLabs device on two homes and wouldn't live without it. I can remotely monitor water use and set alarms to automatically cut off the water supply and notify me should something go wrong.
Is anyone else using one?
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 34,130
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 34,130 |
Ya got 72 hours to remove the water and get it dried out by a professional cleaner. If one waits to long before doing this, the next step is mold abatement, which some insurance companies will not pay for because, 1) waited for a plumber and did not contact agent first, 2) didn’t take reasonable steps, precautions to protect the house before you left, 3) being a dumb ass and waiting for a plumber to shut off a live water line.
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,503
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,503 |
Why people leave their water on when they go on vacation is a mystery to me. As a plumber, I've seen major devastation due to water damage. The only thing that rivals water damage is fire, IMO.
4 out of 5 Great Lakes prefer Michigan.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,743
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,743 |
Might one suggest shutting the water off to the home prior to leaving for extended periods?
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,952
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,952 |
Heard similar stores way too many times.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,743
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 9,743 |
If it's gonna fail, it'll always wait until you're away.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,209
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,209 |
My step mom had a washer supply line pop while she was at work for 12 hours.....same story. Insurance time.
I would not buy something that runs on any kind of primer given the possibility of primer shortages and even regulations. In fact, why not buy a flintlock? Really. Rocks aren't going away anytime soon.
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Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,994
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,994 |
Depending on how a pipe fails, a water line can generate up to 6-12 gallons per minute. In just four hours that's 1,400 to 2,800 gallons of water.
Install a water cutoff valve and save yourself some headaches down the road.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,076
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 6,076 |
Why people leave their water on when they go on vacation is a mystery to me. As a plumber, I've seen major devastation due to water damage. The only thing that rivals water damage is fire, IMO. Yep. I’m religious about turning the water off at the cabin, EVERY time I’m there. About the worst that can happen is the water heater can leak, and cut 40 gallons loose. Don’t need to be hours away and find out I lost thousands of gallons to a leak/rupture, and have to deal with that kind of cost and damage.
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Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 447
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 447 |
Went to work one bright and early morning at 6am. Everything was ok when I left. Came home at 3pm with water coming out of my door from the house into the garage. Instantly thought water heater had failed, but that’s in the garage. As soon as I opened the door into my house, it sounded and looked like Niagara Falls with the the mist inside.
After slipping twice trying to go to the source, discovered the toilet supply line had burst in the guest bathroom!! Holy moly what a mess! Water freaking everywhere. Ran outside and turned main supply off. Too late really. Started the phone calls to get this fixed.
Imagine, a $3 part creating $1000’s of damages!
I turn off the supply when on vacation or extended leave, but never thought about a day at work would Murphy pay a visit!
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,030
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,030 |
I turn mine off when I leave overnight
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,938
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,938 |
Back when it had it's own independent fresh water treatment system, burst inside water lines used to be a relatively common occurrence here in the little town where I live.
Apparently whenever they'd shut down the mains to do repairs air would get trapped in the lines and when they turned the water back on the sudden increase in pressure would blow off or burst residential / business water lines at weakest points.
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Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 3,821
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 3,821 |
I've never turned off the water when I go away, but it's a good idea obviously.
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Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 9,583
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 9,583 |
I had a valve put in the main just as it comes through the wall. It's been been damn handy just for repairs & such. But the biggie is that if I remember, I turn off the hot water heater & shut off the water whenever I leave on a trip.
Wished I had some sort of an alarm on the meter down in the yard though. Was in the house for 2 weeks straight with covid a couple years ago & didn't notice a leak out there. $1500.
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,881
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,881 |
Had a friend that went to visit kin folks during Christmas. Water heater in the attic and one of the water lines froze and burst. Not sure which day it happened, but the next door neighbor saw water running down the driveway and into a drain. Neighbor cut the water off and called my friend. Not only did it ruin the carpet thru out the house, it got the ceiling and walls in 2 or 3 rooms.
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
Just "Campfire Riffraff and Trash"
This will be my last post! Flave 1/3/21
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,289
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,289 |
With the price of water in many cities, a blowout will cost a whole lot more than just water damage.
Years ago we had some friends whose house was built on a slab with the pipes in the attic. They were gone for a week in the winter. We had a terrific wind storm that went through the attic vents and blew the insulation batts off the pipes. They froze and broke. They had to strip the walls and ceiling down the the studs, replace all the insulation, and replace a whole house worth of carpet.
In cold weather, I can just flip a switch to turn off the pump. In the summer, though, we have to keep it going. My wife has a commercial flower farm that's watered by timers from the house well. There's no way to isolate it from the rest of the house. Of course freezing isn't an issue then, but things can still break.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,322
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,322 |
I turn mine off when we go on vacation as well
I may not be smart but I can lift heavy objects
I have a shotgun so I have no need for a 30-06.....
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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,367
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,367 |
Wife and I hearing a hissing noise at our vacation place that we traced to under a bathroom sink. Pfister faucets come with a braided stainless steel outer core covering over the inner plastic liner. The plumber said that it was the first time that he ever saw one of those water lines blow out through that braided covering. Never again another Pfister faucet. Water is turned off when we leave. The mess that would have made if we'd have been gone is hard to imagine.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,758
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 21,758 |
Our water heater thermostat was sticking hot.
Daughter was showering and the water stopped, she told my wife who went t o the basement to see what happened. When she opened the basement door she was met with steam. She ran down, found the valve by the heater and turned it off, getting mildly burned in the process.
Clean up wasn't too bad, just a bunch of crap sitting on the floor that made it harder. Lucky it was caught immediately.
Not water, hitting a cement floor and turning to steam has a distinct and surprisingly bad smell.
A month later I had to work on the clothes washer. When I went to unhook the lines from the wall, the hot water line was swollen to a bigger circumference than the brass coupler! I guess from the water being too hot, or age.
That was 2 potential catastrophes avoided.
PS. Our insurance company sends a quarterly magazine out. One consistent tip us to replace washer hoses every few years(5 I think). Ours were 20 years old, their projected life is 10. Ponied up the $$ and got braided with leak detecting fittings.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
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