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TXBart · 07-26-2019, 08:15 AM

We got home late yesterday afternoon, 29 nights and 4,100 miles. Great trip! Only issue was a dead water pump.

I heard a faint beeping when I walked down the hall at home. Pulled the attic stairs down and confirmed the beeping was from the flood stop at our attic water heater! Some recall when we came home from 8 weeks on the road a few years ago to be greeted by a split water heater and $53,000 damage to the back of our house! This time the water was contained. Plumber is replacing the water heater right now. Different brand going in this time!

I turn power off to both heaters when we leave but cannot turn water off completely because of lawn and pool water needs.

DoggieDaddy · 07-26-2019, 08:27 AM

We're we come from most houses have the hot water heaters in the basement. Seems odd to have one in an attic were it could cause a lot of damage. My suggested fix is to get rid of the house and just live on the road. Works for us just saying.

Nowabeachbum · 07-26-2019, 08:38 AM

I realize that it’s a little late now but Marathon water heaters have a lifetime warranty and have a 100% fiberglass shell.
Not cheap but great piece of mind!

KanzKran · 07-26-2019, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXBart

Plumber is replacing the water heater right now. Different brand going in this time!

He/she should be adding ball valves to the inlet and outlet pipes (or the inlet, at least, to allow for thermal expansion in those hot attic temps) so you can shut the water off to the heater while away.

BSHGTO · 07-26-2019, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KanzKran

He/she should be adding ball valves to the inlet and outlet pipes (or the inlet, at least, to allow for thermal expansion in those hot attic temps) so you can shut the water off to the heater while away.

Not sure why anyone would leave the water turned on. We leave even for 1 night the house water is turned off. Simple lever ball valve 1/4 turn and it`s off. Really don`t care if damage is covered by insurance who would want to put up with the water damage repair hassle. It will still cost you your deductible.
We had a dish washer control valve from corrosion spring a leak while we were home (hard city water). Can`t image coming home to the hassles of getting the kitchen floor replaced and a full basement of water ruining every thing down there.
If we leave the camper for anything the water gets turned off I put a nifty remote controlled water valve ( for sprinkler systems) on the line going into the camper, push button off, push button on, easy peasey.

96Bounder1st · 07-26-2019, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXBart

We got home late yesterday afternoon, 29 nights and 4,100 miles. Great trip! Only issue was a dead water pump.
I turn power off to both heaters when we leave but cannot turn water off completely because of lawn and pool water needs.

Perhaps when the plumber installs the new tank, shutoff valves on the tanks as recommended by previous poster?
Sorry to hear of your troubles, nothing spoils a nice trip like damage to the home base.

Terry

DeWat · 07-26-2019, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BSHGTO

Not sure why anyone would leave the water turned on. We leave even for 1 night the house water is turned off. Simple lever ball valve 1/4 turn and it`s off. Really don`t care if damage is covered by insurance who would want to put up with the water damage repair hassle. It will still cost you your deductible.
We had a dish washer control valve from corrosion spring a leak while we were home (hard city water). Can`t image coming home to the hassles of getting the kitchen floor replaced and a full basement of water ruining every thing down there.
If we leave the camper for anything the water gets turned off I put a nifty remote controlled water valve ( for sprinkler systems) on the line going into the camper, push button off, push button on, easy peasey.

Because it is an option that we have, and leaving the water in the sticks & bricks turned on while away is NOT A BAD THING as some people would have one to believe by posting in all bold letters. We have had 3 houses in 35 years, and have NEVER turned the water off in any of them just because we were going away. While it may be a nice precaution, please link to one official source that says one should turn off water to the home when going on a "normal" vacation.

Vance, if you're IT inclined, I can point you to a very nice do-it-yourself motion sensing camera system that runs about $125 per camera that you would build yourself and monitor yourself (no monitoring fees). We are currently running 10 cameras on ours, and will be expanding to 12. One of those 10 cameras is in the basement pointed at the sump pump, because we have lost the basement several times due to problems that ended at the sump pump (rain so hard the pump was overwhelmed, power outage during a heavy storm, actual sump pump failure). Now even if just upstairs in the bed, we can take a live look at the sump pump on our phone. We also do this when we go away, and if there was any trouble, we would just make a call to one of our children.

Old-Biscuit · 07-26-2019, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeWat

Because it is an option that we have, and leaving the water in the sticks & bricks turned on while away is NOT A BAD THING as some people would have one to believe by posting in all bold letters. We have had 3 houses in 35 years, and have NEVER turned the water off in any of them just because we were going away. While it may be a nice precaution, please link to one official source that says one should turn off water to the home when going on a "normal" vacation.

Vance, if you're IT inclined, I can point you to a very nice do-it-yourself motion sensing camera system that runs about $125 per camera that you would build yourself and monitor yourself (no monitoring fees). We are currently running 10 cameras on ours, and will be expanding to 12. One of those 10 cameras is in the basement pointed at the sump pump, because we have lost the basement several times due to problems that ended at the sump pump (rain so hard the pump was overwhelmed, power outage during a heavy storm, actual sump pump failure). Now even if just upstairs in the bed, we can take a live look at the sump pump on our phone. We also do this when we go away, and if there was any trouble, we would just make a call to one of our children.

Why do you NEED an 'official source'

Common sense...I am gone/water left on/leak.....$$$$$$
I am gone/water off....no leak

Nowabeachbum · 07-26-2019, 02:31 PM

Agreed but if you have a pool like Vance apparently does, you need the water left on and climbing into the attic to turn the water heater off might not be easy either.
Sometimes you might just have to do the best you can with what you got!

LETMGROW · 07-26-2019, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowabeachbum

Agreed but if you have a pool like Vance apparently does, you need the water left on and climbing into the attic to turn the water heater off might not be easy either.
Sometimes you might just have to do the best you can with what you got!

Shut the water off and invite every kid in the neighborhood to use the pool when you are away. They'll keep the pool full for you.
Lynn

Nowabeachbum · 07-26-2019, 03:11 PM

Yeah, NO!

Gary.Jones · 07-26-2019, 03:13 PM

LETMEGROW

I assume you are joking...

and the final thing you do before you depart, if you invited the neighborhood kids to use your pool, would be to increase your liability insurance to 50-100 million dollars to cover your risks for lawsuit with just one of those kids getting injured or drown..... there is no way anyone with a pool in their right mind would encourage anyone to use their pool without their supervision.

My insurance company demanded that I put a fence around my pool and keep the doors closed and locked. No fence, no insurance......

Gary

Mr_D · 07-26-2019, 03:19 PM

Around here a pool is considered an "attractive nuisance" and a 6' fence with locking gates is required.

AudiDudi · 07-26-2019, 03:30 PM

Last year I was very glad I had the water turned off as it was cold enough that the heating oil gel'd and both oil furnaces shut down in mid Feb. When I got home about 6 weeks later, I had to replace about 95% of the CPVC pipes. We also have the propane water heater in the attic - easier to vent I guess in a 2 story house.

I called my insurance company to see about coverage. They asked, do you have any water damage? No, the water was turned off. Well IF you did have damage, that would be covered but the pipes themselves are not covered.

~$400 later, I had replaced everything. I can only imagine what a plumber would have charged as I am 50 miles from the nearest city.