[SandyPd56]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Do people turn off the water main to the house when leaving for a couple of months. I have a toilet that sometimes doesn't seal and continues to flush, should I shut off the main before I leave?

Or get the toilet fixed maybe.

[Annie66]

We purchased a pre-owned home. In the disclosure package, it was noted that 5 years prior to our purchase, the water hose on the washer burst flooding the house. As we understand, all the floors, rugs and some drywall had to be replaced. The owner's homeowner's insurance did not cover the cost of repair. Buried in their policy was a clause that required the homeowner to turn off the main water and gas valves in the house if it would be vacant for 2 weeks. They were snowbirds.

I certainly do not know if all policies carry such a clause, but it might be worthwhile checking. It is so easy to close the valves for both the main water valve in the garage and gas valve in the attic. It gives us a sense of comfort knowing we won't return to find a mess even though our insurance company would cover the cost of repairs.

[Ray Greene]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Do people turn off the water main to the house when leaving for a couple of months. I have a toilet that sometimes doesn't seal and continues to flush, should I shut off the main before I leave?

Fix the toilet!

[oldyeller]

Yes

[maistocars]

Absolutely turn it off!

[john352]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Do people turn off the water main to the house when leaving for a couple of months. I have a toilet that sometimes doesn't seal and continues to flush, should I shut off the main before I leave?

While I was at home, a hot water pipe under the concrete slab sprung a major leak causing flooding of the floor of the master bedroom, etc. I shut off the main water valve as quickly as I could. The cost impact was $17,000+. It took several months to recover, and it caused a lot of personal stress.
If this hot water leak had occurred while I was out-of-town, water would eventually flow out my front door. If the electricity to the hot water tank had been on, there would also be very high electric bills and water bills to deal with.

[jeff.trinkle]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Shut it off, you never know ... If you have a cheap plastic throw valve, replace it with a quality brass fitting. Turning off your H2O when not there takes all of about 5 seconds and the peace of mind is well worth the effort. Just remember to turn off the power source to your hot water heater as well so... you eliminate the risk of frying a dry tank.

When you say "cheap plastic throw valve," are they those small one that you simply push or pull, but there's no handle to turn?

[davefin]

Slightly off topic, but that seal in the toilet tank is a real easy fix.

[mkjelenbaas]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Do people turn off the water main to the house when leaving for a couple of months. I have a toilet that sometimes doesn't seal and continues to flush, should I shut off the main before I leave?

What people are you wondering about? If it is me - no.

[jtjigs]

Thank you all for the replies, I was leaving on the day after I posted this so I didn’t have time to fix the toilet, which is the obvious answer. Now while I agree with all of you I called Mike Scott plumbing and they told me NOT to turn off my rheem tankless water heater, therefore I defaulted to not Turing off the water main, but just the toilet for now. I’ll be back in a couple of months to fix the toilet and assess what to do next time

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Thank you all for the replies, I was leaving on the day after I posted this so I didn’t have time to fix the toilet, which is the obvious answer. Now while I agree with all of you I called Mike Scott plumbing and they told me NOT to turn off my rheem tankless water heater, therefore I defaulted to not Turing off the water main, but just the toilet for now. I’ll be back in a couple of months to fix the toilet and assess what to do next time

Did they give you a reason for not turning off the water heater? We turn ours off whenever we leave for more than a couple of days. We’ve never had an issue.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Thank you all for the replies, I was leaving on the day after I posted this so I didn’t have time to fix the toilet, which is the obvious answer. Now while I agree with all of you I called Mike Scott plumbing and they told me NOT to turn off my rheem tankless water heater, therefore I defaulted to not Turing off the water main, but just the toilet for now. I’ll be back in a couple of months to fix the toilet and assess what to do next time

If that is what they told you, it is totally opposite from what the Rheem manual says for tankless water heaters. It says:

"If the water heater is to remain idle for an extended period of time, the power and water to the heater should be turned off."

I think you either got bad advice or you misunderstood the instructions.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

Did they give you a reason for not turning off the water heater? We turn ours off whenever we leave for more than a couple of days. We’ve never had an issue.

Correct. Leaving the water and the water heater on when you go away makes no sense.

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

if that is what they told you, it is totally opposite from what the rheem manual says for tankless water heaters. It says:

"if the water heater is to remain idle for an extended period of time, the power and water to the heater should be turned off."

i think you either got bad advice or you misunderstood the instructions.

in another life when we would shut off a water heater say for spillage, co backing up due to chimney blockage or improper vent line, when repaired often times the thermal lead which was constantly fed by the pilot flame would go cold. Upon restart they would fail i'd say one to two times out of ten. Soark ignition foes not have that issue
good luck

[Cindy619]

Originally Posted by jtjigs

Do people turn off the water main to the house when leaving for a couple of months. I have a toilet that sometimes doesn't seal and continues to flush, should I shut off the main before I leave?

Yes. Why not? It's easy to do and provides peace of mind.