Question for HVAC guys who do plumbing

[SonicExplorer]

I'm sure the mods will delete this post if I'm out of line asking a plumbing question, but since many HVAC pro's also work for companies that do plumbing I thought maybe I could get some advice.

I'm going to be taking a vacation in a few weeks. My home has that awful polybuetylene piping and is about 15 years old - right about the time when those pipes tend to start failing. In fact some homes in my neighborhood have begun failing in the last few years. Anyway, I'm wondering if I should turn off the water before I depart. I'm concerned that allowing the lines to dry out while I'm gone might actually be prone to causing damage after I return. Or should I ALMOST turn off the water, allowing just enough to remain pressurized, or just take my chances and leave the water on?

What would you guys do??

Thanks,

Sonic

[jim147]

I always turn off the water and my electric water heater before I go out of town.

jim

[riderman]

[QUOTE=SonicExplorer;. I'm concerned that allowing the lines to dry out while I'm gone might actually be prone to causing damage after I return.
What would you guys do??
Sonic[/QUOTE]

If you turn the water off, the water lines will not dry out. It's a sealed system. Your faucets are the high point. Close your house supply shutoff valve and relieve the pressure at any faucet. Most homes have a valve where the line comes into the house underground. You can also shut it off at the water meter. Worst case scenario is the shutoff valve leaks a little and re-pressurizes the system. If a water line blows while your gone, the volume will be low. After closing the water valve, you can also leave a cold water faucet cracked. No pressure build up if the shut off valve is defective.

[beenthere]

Moved to the General forum. Here is where non HVAC topics are discussed.

[whec720]

I have a gas fired hot water heater and simply turn down the t-stat when we are out of town. Why maintain 120* water in a tank when no one is there using it?

[qwerty hvac]

I always shut off my main water supply when I am out of town. I have seen some bad floods from burst pipes.

[pushpipe]

it's cheap insurance to shut the valve. I've seen 10s of thousands in damage that could have been prevented