With the summer months upon us, many homeowners turn their attention to extended vacation getaways. One family, however, recently found out the hard way that not taking steps to protect your home before you leave could lead to expensive plumbing repairs.
In this issue, we’ll share details of the homeowner’s experience and will share a few tips from the Los Angeles mechanical engineer specialists with K2D that can prevent an otherwise simple plumbing issue from costing you thousands of dollars.
How a Home Can Be Damaged While Family’s Away on Vacation
Earlier this year, a family returned home from a Disney vacation to discover their home flooded because of busted pipes.
“We completely lost the ceiling,” the homeowner said. “The drywall is down (and) you can see (where) it trickled and followed the rafters all the way into the kitchen. We’ll probably have to replace all the floors, the carpet, roof and walls.”
Even though frozen pipes caused this home disaster, the homeowner could have prevented it by simply turning off the main water supply to the home.
How You Can Prevent Plumbing Disasters While You’re on Vacation
Before you head for the open roads or the airport, here are a few things you can do to prevent some of the most common plumbing problems from ruining your vacation.
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Know how to shut off the main water supply to your home.
Even though this will shut off water into the house, many homes and businesses have sprinkler systems that allow them to work independently. The worst-case scenario is that your hot-water tank leaks and you lose about 50 gallons of water. That’s far better than having water spray continuously throughout your home until your return.
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Go ahead and have small leaks fixed before you leave.
Small, pinhole leaks you see now can be a sign of a larger problem involving corrosion that can easily turn into larger – and more expensive – problems. Also, taking care of smaller leaks now can bring about huge savings on your next water bill.
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Turn off the power to your water heater.
Even though you’ve already turned off the main water supply to your home, leaving the power on to your water heater can cause internal damage to the equipment. When you return from your vacation, turn on the main water supply first – then turn the power back on to your water heater.
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Examine the hoses of your washing machine.
If left unchecked, leaks in your washing machine hoses can quickly lead to a flooded floor. Common causes of washing machine leaks include overloading and clogged drainpipes.
For Energy-Efficient Plumbing Design in Los Angeles, call K2D.
The design of your plumbing system can go a long way in determining the soundness of your building’s structure. The expert mechanical engineers in Los Angeles at K2D are trusted for their skillful and experienced design of plumbing systems inside and outside of homes and offices.
Serving industry and families in California, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Canada, the mechanical, plumbing and electrical engineering professionals at K2D are committed to providing difference-making designs and cost-effective engineering designs.
To find out how we can help you save money, call K2D Consulting Engineers. at 310.935.3773 or contact us via email.
