Leaving Tulsa for the Holidays? Protect Your Home From Water Damage
Before you leave for the holidays, shut off the main water valve, set the thermostat to at least 55°F, put the water heater on vacation mode, and ask someone to check the house after any hard freeze. A small leak in an empty house can run for days before anyone notices.
A burst pipe while you are home is bad. A burst pipe while you are gone for a week is how a one-room repair turns into a whole-house job. The water keeps running, nobody shuts it off, and by the time you return mold may already be growing. If it does happen, start water damage cleanup after a burst pipe the day you find it.
Pre-Trip Checklist
The Big Three
Pipes and Plumbing
Appliances
People and Alerts
If You Can't Shut Off the Water
Some homes have fire sprinklers, a well that also feeds livestock, or a family member staying behind. If the main has to stay on:
- Keep the heat at 55°F or higher, everywhere, including back rooms
- Let faucets on exterior walls drip during hard freezes
- Keep the garage door closed
- Have someone walk through the house every day or two
Coming Home: What to Check First
| Check | What a Problem Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Ceilings | Brown rings, sagging, drips from light fixtures |
| Floors near kitchens, baths and the laundry | Damp carpet, lifting laminate, cupping wood |
| Water heater area | Water on the floor, rust at the base |
| Exterior walls | Wet baseboards, bubbling paint |
| The smell | A musty smell usually means water has been sitting |
| Turning the water back on | Hissing, running water sounds, or a meter that keeps spinning |
Turn the main back on slowly and watch for leaks for the first hour, since frozen pipes often leak only once water flows again. Here is why pipes burst after the freeze ends.
Does Insurance Cover Water Damage While You Were Away?
Sudden burst pipe damage is commonly covered by Oklahoma homeowners policies. Many policies, though, have conditions for homes left vacant or unheated for a while, such as keeping the heat on or shutting off the water. Read that section of your policy before you travel.
Holiday Water Damage FAQ
Holiday Water Damage FAQ
Yes. Vacation mode is easiest. If you shut off the main water, turning off the heater keeps it from heating an empty or draining tank. An old tank is worth a look before you go, because a leaking water heater in an empty house can soak a whole floor.
No lower than 55°F. Colder than that and pipes in exterior walls and corners can freeze.
No, for most homes. Just turn it back on slowly when you return and watch for leaks.
Shut off the main water, turn off power to wet rooms if safe, take photos, and call for emergency water cleanup right away.
Do Not Wait
Came Home to Water Damage? Call Now.
Call (918) 347-0890 and a water damage crew is dispatched immediately anywhere in the Tulsa metro, holidays included.
24/7 Emergency Helpline
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