Vacate for the weekend

[rlc1872]

I own an E Pro 17RK that I use for work. I leave the camper for the weekend and was advised to turn off the water feed when not using for extended periods of time. My question is; will doing this damage any of the equipment such as the water heater or water pumps?

[Chuck_S]

I turn the water off every time we leave the trailer, even for the afternoon. I've seen only one (1) trailer where a water line separated. That was enough. Road vibration is insidious.

-- Chuck

[JohnD10]

Yup!

After witnessing a couple of RV floods over the years at campgrounds...

I always shut the water off whenever I leave the camper.

All it takes is a slow dribble in the toilet to give you a very nice surprise when you get back from a day of sightseeing.

[bikendan]

Yup, turn the water off when we leave for extended time.

[merrykalia]

We turn ours off, also.

To answer your question, the only way it would hurt your water heater is if you drained the water heater and left it on. You are just turning off the water into the trailer. If you were to leave it long enough for the water to evaporate out of the water heater, that would hurt it, but just for a weekend, that's nothing.

The water pump, you aren't using anyway, if you are on city water. There should be no problem there.

[babock]

Everytime I leave the trailer it is off. Same goes for the waterpump when we are dry camping.

[SailorSam20500]

Yup, turn off the water, water pump if running that way, and turn off the water heater (it doesn't take that long to heat 6 gallons of water).

[hotzfamily]

We also turn off our water and waterheater overnight. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to get the water hot in the AM...

[Alabama Potter]

This is SO timely for us. We were wondering about turning off the water heater at the inside panel but leaving the suburban water heater turned on at the WH when we leave for the day. We use electric. Will that be okay or do we need to switch off the WH at the WH control switch in addition to the inside panel if we turn off the water to the tt? Thanks!

[merrykalia]

Originally Posted by Alabama Potter

This is SO timely for us. We were wondering about turning off the water heater at the inside panel but leaving the suburban water heater turned on at the WH when we leave for the day. We use electric. Will that be okay or do we need to switch off the WH at the WH control switch in addition to the inside panel if we turn off the water to the tt? Thanks!

I don't turn off my water heater at home when I leave for hours or even a couple of days. I don't turn if off in the RV, either. Is there a chance of a fire? Probably, but that's why I have insurance on it. I do turn the water off if we will be gone overnight. Again, that's why I have insurance on it. Is there a possibility that something will spring a leak, yes, but there is always the possibility that a meteor will drop from the sky and hit the RV. I don't stress the "what ifs" too much. I also don't take chances that don't need to be taken. Just use some common sense.

[rlc1872]

Sorry for the apparent stupid question. Not an excuse but I am new to this whole camper thing and didn’t know if things may be different from a house other than the obvious like wheels and a hitch. And for the record, I do have insurance but that doesn’t mean I want to use it. I will be sure to use other forums to ask future stupid questions.

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Alabama Potter

This is SO timely for us. We were wondering about turning off the water heater at the inside panel but leaving the suburban water heater turned on at the WH when we leave for the day. We use electric. Will that be okay or do we need to switch off the WH at the WH control switch in addition to the inside panel if we turn off the water to the tt? Thanks!

The switch on the outside is for electric only. The switch on the inside is for the gas. Though there are some that have a switch for both electric and gas inside there will be 2 switches and they should be labled as to which they are for. The electric element will burn out in less than a minute if it's turned on without water in the wh.

[Paulie1138]

RLC, not a stupid question at all. Justifiable. We were all new at this once (or 2x....LOL)

Feel free to ask away. That is one of the things this forum is for. Try not to get offended, as although most of us mean well, some responses can come across
.....shall I say....snarky?

As for us, we try to shut off just the water if we are going away for more than a few hours. (Cheap plastic lines and the vibrations will sneak up on ya!) Leave the HW on, unless boondocking and using the gas. Electric, leave on unless gone for more than a few days. Saves the park a few $.

As Scrapper mentioned above, be sure your HW tank is full before turning on the electric or gas. Turn on the water and run the hot water tap a bit before you hit the switches. It is very unlikely your tank will have drained under those circumstances.

Point specific, after winterizing and you have drained the tank. I recommend folks to shut off the electric at the switch and breaker, put a label on both that tank is empty. This will save you from having to replace the heating element. If you fire up the gas part, and you have forgotten to refill, let it cool down fully before trying to add water. Also, open the hot tap a bit to relieve the pressure before it bursts your lines!

Had to help out my neighbor who forgot a year or so ago.

[babock]

Originally Posted by rlc1872

And for the record, I do have insurance but that doesn’t mean I want to use it. I will be sure to use other forums to ask future stupid questions.

Using insurance as a reason to leave it on is kinda ridiculous. If you are on a trip and something lets loose, if you are there, you have a chance to fix it, if you aren't your whole trip is ruined.

[HappyTrav]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

Yup, turn off the water, water pump if running that way, and turn off the water heater (it doesn't take that long to heat 6 gallons of water).

Same here.

Bob

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by merrykalia

I don't turn off my water heater at home when I leave for hours or even a couple of days. I don't turn if off in the RV, either. Is there a chance of a fire? Probably, but that's why I have insurance on it. I do turn the water off if we will be gone overnight. Again, that's why I have insurance on it. Is there a possibility that something will spring a leak, yes, but there is always the possibility that a meteor will drop from the sky and hit the RV. I don't stress the "what ifs" too much. I also don't take chances that don't need to be taken. Just use some common sense.

When I leave my house I turn off the main water valve, set furnace to low settiing, and turn water heater off.

Sure, I have insurance to cover any catastrophe but I do it mainly to save money. Why heat a house to 70 degrees when I'm not living in it. Ditto for heating water I won't use. As for shutting off the main valve? Doesn't take any time or cost me any money. I also won't have to deal with any insurance adjusters when I get home

Several years ago a neighbor had a fitting break in his house while they were gone. Water filled the entire main floor and damaged every item in the house from furniture to electronics. They spent over 4 months out of the house while repairs were made. Serv Pro had to bring in huge heaters just to drive the moisture out of the remaining walls, insulation, and framing.

Turning off a water valve doesn't take much time at all. (I know you said you do this when leaving overnight, just mentioned it benefit of others reading who might not)

[babock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

When I leave my house I turn off the main water valve, set furnace to low settiing, and turn water heater off.

On one of our vacation homes in the mountains, we always turn off the water when we leave. It has galvanized pipes and don't want a catastrophe when we leave it for a month at a time.