At a glance
- Topic
- Suitcase by the door
- Reading time
- About 2 min
- Phone
- (365) 363-2754
- Matching repair
- Finding Your Main Water Shut-Off in an Ajax Home
Why it matters
One failed laundry hose pumps out water at full house pressure until someone turns it off. In a house nobody visits for two weeks, that becomes a gutted basement and a long insurance claim. Many policies also have conditions about vacant homes in winter; read yours.
The routine, in order
- Close the main valve. Then open a low tap briefly to confirm the flow really stops.
- Water heater to vacation. Gas tanks have a VAC or pilot setting; for electric tanks, switch off the breaker if you are away more than a few days.
- Leave the sump alone. It must stay powered. Test it with a pail before you go and check the backup battery.
- Heat stays on in winter. Leave the furnace set at 15°C or warmer and open cupboard doors on outside walls.
- Hand over a key. Ask a neighbour to look in every few days and give them our number and the main valve location.
- Shut off the washer valves and the ice-maker line as a second layer.
Mistakes to avoid
- Shutting the main while leaving a boiler or humidifier that needs water running; check what depends on supply.
- Turning the furnace off in January to save money.
- Forgetting the outdoor taps in the fall.
Local tip If you have a water-powered sump backup, closing the main disables it. Ask us whether yours is fed before the main valve.
Where a plumber takes over
A main valve that will not close, a sump that fails its test or an outdoor spigot with no shut-off. See main valve replacement and winterizing faucets.
Questions we hear on the phone
Should I drain the whole house for a long winter trip?
For months away, a full drain-down is the safest option. It is a job we can do and reverse on your return.