I turn the main house valve off when we go on vacation.
Friend of mine built a house recently, 2 stories on top of a finished basement. Had lived in it for maybe 6 months, when they went on a week-long trip. A supply shutoff valve blew out of the feed line to the 3rd floor bathroom sink (later discovered that the metal PEX band had snapped unobtrusively on installation), and spewed water for most of 24 hours before being discovered. About half of the walls & ceilings on the 2nd (main) floor, and most of the basement, had to be torn back to the joists & studs, and all affected floors torn back to subflooring, and redone.
Similar to my dad's case. 2 stories with basement. Upstairs toilet line broke. Was only on for a few hours before someone caught it. But the damage was done. Upside is he wanted to remodel anyway.
I use braided steel supply lines for the washing machine, dishwasher, toilet and under the sinks. Never had one fail. Don't believe they're that brand necessarily. My brother used plastic at once in a pinch, lived to regret it.
I also use braided steel supply lines. But another failure point is the inlet valve to the washer. So my routine is when I leave even for a few hours I just turn the supply line off to the washer. If I leave for an overnight, I turn all the water off to the house. My wife thinks I am a little overzealous, but she has gotten used to it. Problem avoided is a problem solved.
My problem is pets and the requirement for a pet sitter when we're away
I've seen sensors you can put on the floor in strategic areas that will trip an emergency shutoff valve at the main if they sense flooding.My problem is pets and the requirement for a pet sitter when we're away
That requires water, and I doubt I'll ask a 13-year-old girl to go into the utility room and turn on/off the water so that she can care for the cat. Any ideas on that front would be helpful!
Cool, was not aware of such a thing. Multiple "best of" lists upon quick Google search. They seem expensive, but much less so than the aftermath of a line coming loose when you're away. Thanks.
The "flood safe" is not only braided steel but it also has a flow sensor. If it exceeds some value then its internal valve shuts off the water.
I installed those in some of my rental units. They do seem to work. No, I haven't had one fail but when replacing a faucet I wanted to flush out the line before connecting it to the new fixture. Without the restriction of faucet, the safety valve kicked in and shut off the flow.
