Seasonal · Pipes, leaks & valves
Leaving Home for Winter Travel
An empty house in January is a house where nobody hears a fitting let go. Shutting the main, setting the heater to vacation and leaving the heat on keeps a week away from turning into a flooded basement.
- A plumber answers when you call
- Clear price before any pipe is cut
- Basements left as clean as we found them
The Markham angle
A burst pipe in an occupied house is bad. In an empty house, it can run for days before anyone notices, and the water keeps flowing until someone closes the main. Winter is the riskiest time, because a furnace failure or a power outage during a deep cold snap can bring indoor temperatures down quickly. Many home insurance policies also contain conditions about vacancy and heat that are worth reading before a long trip.
One step after another
- Leave the furnace running. Choose a thermostat setting to a moderate temperature rather than turning it down to the minimum. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
- Service the furnace. If it has not had a check this season, book one ahead of departure day.
- Close the incoming main. If you will be gone more than a weekend, shutting off the main is the single best protection. Our main shut-off brief shows where to look.
- Drain the lines if appropriate. After closing the main, open the lowest tap and an upstairs tap to relieve pressure.
- Deal with the water heater. Plenty of gas tanks offer a holiday mode on the dial. For electric tanks, ask whether it makes sense to turn off the breaker. Leave the gas supply alone unless a professional advises otherwise.
- Keep the sump pump powered. Leave the sump connected even with the water off, since groundwater can still rise during a thaw.
- Line up a house-sitter. Have someone you trust to stop by every couple of days, glance at ceilings and floors, and check the thermostat.
Small helpers worth installing
- Water leak sensors on the floor near the water heater, washer and under sinks.
- A motorized valve on the incoming main, which closes when sensors detect water.
- Steel-braided washing machine hoses in place of old rubber ones.
Slip-ups we see often
- Turning off the heat entirely to save money.
- Closing the main but leaving a humidifier or ice maker calling for water, which can damage those appliances.
- Forgetting outdoor taps. See winterizing outdoor faucets.
- Giving a key to someone who does not know where the main shut-off is.
Coming home
Open the main slowly, then run every tap until the air clears from the lines. Flush every toilet and check under sinks for drips. Restore the water heater to its normal setting and give it time to recover before the first shower.
Time to pick up the phone
Call before you go if your main valve is seized or hard to turn, if you want an automatic shut-off installed, or if a pipe has frozen before. We replace main shut-off valves and handle burst pipe repair if you return to bad news.
A motorized valve on the incoming main, which closes when sensors detect water.
From the job notes of Plumbers in Markham
Guide · Pipes, leaks & valves
Signs to watch for
- The meter dial turns with every tap off
- Flow that falls off when a second tap opens
Call a plumber when
- Water is reaching a ceiling, wall cavity or electrical panel
- Sewage is coming up through a floor drain or toilet
- You smell gas near the water heater: leave and call the gas utility first
- A valve will not close or a fitting keeps weeping after tightening
Markham note. Markham water service lines enter on the street-facing basement wall, and the main shut-off and meter usually sit right there. In older houses that valve is often a rusty multi-turn gate valve left untouched since the house was built.