If you come home and water is shooting out of your wall, would you know what to do? If you live in a colder region, your pipes could freeze, and this can very well happen. What if your hot water tank is leaking all over the floor? Both of these problems are not the end of the world, although they both can do significant property damage. The longer the water is leaking, the more chance for damage and the growth of mildew and mold.
If you ever have any leakage like this, the first step should be to turn the water off to the location that is leaking, or even to the entire house. Once you get the water off, you can then call a plumber to repair the damage and stop the active leakage. While doing home inspections for the last ten years, I am amazed at how many people don’t know where their main water shut off is at in their house. This is something that you should know in case of an emergency.
Each sink, bathtub, and toilet should have a separate shut off so any leaks can be easily isolated and prevent the entire water supply from needing to be shut off. If your bathrooms and kithchen or laundry areas do not have separate shut offs, you should consult a plumber now to install them. If you ever have any problems down the road, you will be happy that you did! I know this is an easy thing to put off, but try to get it done. You will be glad that you followed my advice.