Key Takeaways
Shut off your main water valve for any trip longer than two days.
Turn off appliance water lines and check for slow leaks.
Test your sump pump (if you have one) and confirm your battery backup is working. During a storm the power is often out, and a backup battery is essential.
Set your thermostat to 28°C1 in summer and 16°C in winter.
Have someone check your home every 48–72 hours, especially for longer trips. Canadian insurance policies may require it.
You’ve packed the bags, booked the ride to the airport, and set the out-of-office reply. But before you lock the front door, did you think of shutting off the main water valve? What happens if there is intense rain while you’re away?
You don’t want to come home from vacation to find water where it shouldn’t be: a burst pipe, a sump pump that failed during a storm, or a backed-up sewer that pushed into the basement. This will certainly ruin your vacation, and the damage can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, when most of it could be prevented. The key is giving yourself enough time before your trip to check your home thoroughly and catch problems while you can still fix them.
This guide walks through what to do before you leave so you can enjoy your trip instead of worrying about what’s happening back home.
Before you go: the pre-departure home checklist
These are the steps that matter most, the ones you don’t want to forget. They’re ordered the way you should tackle them: start by shutting down the systems that could cause the most damage, then make sure your defences are in place, and finally arrange for someone to keep an eye on things. Give yourself enough time before your trip to work through them properly as some steps, like testing a sump pump or checking a valve that hasn’t been tested in years, might reveal an issue you’d want a professional to fix before you leave.
Step 1: Shut off your main water valve
Shutting off the main water valve depressurizes your entire plumbing system, which means that if a pipe, supply line, or appliance connection fails while you’re away, there’s no water flowing to cause a flood. Many plumbing professionals recommend shutting off the main for any trip of several days2 or longer. The main shutoff is usually located where the water line enters your home. Typically, this is in the basement, near the water meter, or in a mechanical room. If you’re not sure where yours is, find it on a calm afternoon before you need it and don’t leave it to the last minute on departure day. After you shut it off, open a tap on the lowest floor for a moment to relieve any residual pressure in the lines.
One exception to know about: If your home has a fire sprinkler system that depends on the water supply, check with a plumber before shutting off the main as you don’t want to disable fire protection while you’re away.
Once the main water supply is off, turn your water heater down to its “vacation” or “pilot” setting. If yours doesn’t have this setting, lower it to the lowest temperature. This can save energy while you’re away and helps protect the unit from damage. If a leak slowly drains the tank while the heater is still running at full temperature, the heating element can overheat and burn out.
If you’re leaving during the winter for more than a few days, shutting off the main is just step one. After closing the valve, open all your faucets (starting at the highest point in the house and working down) to drain as much water as possible from the pipes. Less water in the lines means less to freeze and expand if the heat fails. You should also disconnect and drain any outdoor hoses and shut off the supply valves to exterior faucets. A frozen outdoor tap that bursts inside the wall causes a lot of damage and is easily preventable.
Step 2: Turn off appliance water lines and check for slow leaks
The rubber supply hoses behind your washing machine, and dishwasher can weaken over time and burst without warning. If you can reach the shutoff valves for these appliances (usually on the wall behind them), turn them off.
While you’re at it, take a quick look under every sink and behind the toilets for any signs of slow drips or moisture. A leak that’s barely noticeable when you’re home every day can become a major problem when left unchecked for an extended period.
Step 3: Test your sump pump and confirm your battery backup is working
If your home has a sump pump, it’s your basement’s last line of defense during a heavy storm or rapid snowmelt. Do not unplug it before you leave as it needs to stay powered and ready to work. Instead, test it by lifting the lid and pouring water into the pit to confirm the pump kicks in and clears the water outside. If it doesn’t start, or if it sounds strained, get it serviced before your trip. Annual testing of your sump pump and back up battery is recommended so you don’t find yourself in these last-minute stressful situations.
A battery backup is essential. The storms that cause flooding are the same storms that knock out power. If your sump pump runs on electricity alone and the power goes out while you’re away, your basement has no protection at all. A battery backup system keeps the pump running through an outage, which is exactly when you need it most. Test the backup battery before you leave and make sure it’s charged, connected, and functional. Some homes, particularly those in high-risk areas or with a history of extended power outages, run two backup batteries so the pump can keep going through prolonged outages that last days rather than hours.
Don’t skip this step. The one time you need it is the one time the power is most likely to be out. Test both the pump and the backup battery before every trip.
Step 4: Set your thermostat for the season
Your thermostat setting depends entirely on when you’re traveling.
Summer travel: Set your thermostat to 28°C. Don’t turn the air conditioning off entirely. In humid Canadian summers, a completely uncooled home can develop mold and moisture damage. A few degrees above your comfort setting keeps the system cycling enough to manage humidity while significantly reducing energy use.
Winter travel: Set your thermostat to 16°C and not much lower. The goal is to keep the interior warm enough that pipes inside walls and in unheated spaces don’t freeze. If the temperature drops too low, water in the pipes can freeze, expand, and burst. Your insurance policy may require you to maintain heat or to shut off and drain the water system entirely.
Step 5: Arrange for someone to check on your home
This isn’t just good sense, it can also be an insurance requirement. Most Canadian home insurance policies require someone to physically inspect your property every 48 to 72 hours while you’re away, though the exact timeframe varies by insurer. If a pipe bursts and no one’s been checking, your insurer may deny the claim3.
Ask a trusted neighbor, friend, or family member to walk through your home every couple of days. Show them where your main water shutoff valve is and what to do if they spot a problem. If you’ll be away for more than 30 days, you’re required to notify your insurance company. This applies to homeowners and condo owners alike. Most Canadian policies, including condo insurance, exclude coverage for damage that occurs after a property has been vacant or unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days. Failing to notify your insurer could void your coverage entirely.
In winter, a check-in is also about confirming the heat is still running. If the furnace fails during a cold snap and no one notices for days, every pipe in the house is at risk. Ask your checker to verify the thermostat is holding temperature and the furnace is operating.
Want to go deeper on protecting your home?
RBC’s Home Resilience Hub walks through practical steps to make your home more resilient to extreme weather from flood prevention to wildfire preparedness.
Visit the Home Resilience Hub
Frequently asked questions
Yes. For any trip longer than a few days, shutting off your main water valve is important. It depressurizes your entire plumbing system, so if a pipe or supply line fails, there’s no water to cause damage. After shutting it off, open a tap on the lowest floor to relieve residual pressure. If you’re traveling in winter, also drain the pipes from the highest point down so there’s less water left to freeze.
Most Canadian home insurance policies require someone to physically inspect your property every 48 to 72 hours while you’re away. If a pipe bursts and no one has been checking, your insurer may deny the claim. If you’ll be away for more than 30 days, you must notify your insurance company as failure to do so could void your coverage.
In summer, set it to 28°C which is warm enough to save energy but cool enough to manage humidity and prevent mold. In winter, set it to at least 16°C.
Most home insurance policies continue to cover you while you’re on vacation but may require having someone check in on your home. Check with your insurance company to confirm what’s covered before you travel.
Yes. A battery backup is essential, not optional. The storms that cause flooding are the same storms that most often knock out power. Test the backup battery before every trip to make sure it’s charged and functional. Some homes in high-risk areas or with a history of extended outages run two backup batteries.
The main shutoff valve is typically located where the water line enters your home. This is usually in the basement, near the water meter, or in a mechanical room.
Some plumbers recommend leaving a faucet at a slow drip during a cold snap when you’re home, but it’s not a strategy for when you’re away on vacation. Dripping faucets works by keeping water moving through the pipes, but it only helps if the heat stays on, the water supply stays connected, and someone is there to notice if something goes wrong. If you’re shutting off the main water valve and draining the lines, there wouldn’t be any water in the pipes to drip, and no water in the pipes to freeze. That’s a far more reliable approach4 for an empty home rather than relying on a trickle of water that could stop, freeze, or go unnoticed for days.
This article is intended as general information only and is not to be relied upon as constituting legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the authors as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or any of its affiliates.
