PCS Moves and Vacant Homes: Preventing Water Damage

Updated October 31, 2026 · 5 min read

Why empty homes here are at risk

Colorado Springs has a lot of homes that change hands or sit empty on military timelines. Families leave Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base and the Air Force Academy on orders, and a house may sit for weeks waiting on a sale, a renter or a returning owner.

The weather makes that riskier. A sunny 50-degree afternoon can drop to single digits by morning, and arctic air can push lows below zero. If the furnace fails, the power blinks off, or someone sets the thermostat too low, pipes in exterior walls, garages and crawlspaces can freeze in one night. When they thaw, they leak into a house where nobody is home. Ice in a pipe does not always split it right away; the pressure often breaks the pipe at a weak spot, and the leak only starts once the ice melts.

The shutoff checklist

Main water valve

Find the main shutoff before move-out day, not during it. In many homes it is in the basement or crawlspace where the service line enters, or in a utility closet. Turn it fully closed. Then open a faucet on the lowest level to confirm the water stops.

Drain the lines if it will sit through winter

After the main is closed, open faucets on every level, starting at the top, and flush toilets to empty the tanks. Open the outdoor hose bibs. If the house will sit through the cold months, a plumber can blow out the lines with air for added protection. Do not forget the ice maker line and the washing machine hoses.

Water heater

If the water is shut off for a long time, ask a plumber whether to set the water heater to vacation mode or turn it off. A heater running with no fresh water coming in is not what you want. Our post on water heater leaks covers what a failing tank looks like.

Sprinklers

If you leave in the fall, have the irrigation system blown out and the backflow preventer drained before the first hard freeze. A cracked backflow preventer can leak for days. See our post on sprinkler backflow preventer freezes.

Thermostat settings

The American Red Cross advises keeping the heat at 55 degrees or higher when you are away in cold weather. That number is the floor, not the target, in some houses.

Keep cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls open so warm air reaches the pipes. Replace the furnace filter before you leave. A clogged filter can trip a furnace's safety controls and shut it down. A smart thermostat with low-temperature alerts sent to your phone and to your contact gives you early warning if the furnace quits.

Checks by a neighbor or property manager

A shutoff and a thermostat setting do not cover everything. Roofs still leak in a spring snowstorm, a sump pump can fail, and window wells can fill with melting snow. A real person walking through the house catches those.

Give your contact a short list:

1. Look under kitchen and bathroom sinks for water or staining.
2. Check ceilings on every floor, especially below bathrooms.
3. Look at the water heater and the floor around it.
4. Check the basement floor, walls and any sump pit.
5. Confirm the thermostat reads what it should and the furnace runs.
6. After snow, look at window wells and the roof edge for ice buildup.
7. Text you photos after each visit.

Leave written permission for them to let a restoration crew and a plumber in if something is found, along with your insurance carrier and policy number.

Vacancy and your insurance

Talk to your agent before you leave. Many standard homeowners forms limit some coverage, such as vandalism and glass breakage, once a home has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days. Most forms also exclude freeze damage unless you kept the heat on or shut the water off and drained the system. If you plan to rent the home out, you will likely need a landlord or dwelling fire policy instead of a homeowners policy. Read our post on landlord and tenant water damage in Colorado for how that works, and see whether homeowners insurance covers water damage for the general rules.

If a leak is found while you are gone

Your contact should close the main valve, take photos and video, and call your insurer and a local restoration pro. A burst pipe cleanup crew can extract water, open wet walls and set drying equipment while you are still two time zones away. In a house that has been closed up with a leak for a while, mold is a real possibility, so ask the crew to check for it.

The cost depends on how long the water ran, how many rooms it reached, whether the basement was finished, and whether the crew is called on a night or weekend. The company that inspects puts the figure in writing before work begins.

Neighborhoods where this comes up most

Military turnover keeps a steady share of homes empty in Fountain and Security-Widefield near Fort Carson's gates, and east side areas like Falcon and Cimarron Hills that sit close to Peterson and Schriever. Many of those homes have finished basements, where a slow leak can soak carpet and drywall for weeks before anyone opens the door.

Sources and official resources

• Contractor license lookup (Pikes Peak Regional Building Department)
• Homeowners insurance help (Colorado Division of Insurance)
• IICRC: restoration industry standards body
• Colorado Springs weather warnings (National Weather Service, Pueblo)
• A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home (EPA)