Turning on Water in Home after Months/Years?? Loud groaning noise.

[TempTop]

This might be a very newcomer inquiry: We have a double-wide on our property that some family might settle in within the next few months. But I recently turned on the water/switch after the house had been sitting shut-off for a while (we'd turn the power and water on every few months.) This time there was a terribly loud groaning noise instantly from the water heater-area that never stopped, with water flowing from the faucet in the bathroom sink but it would begin to sputter when the hot water would try to kick in. On top of that, the other toilet in the house wouldn't stop flowing as the tank wasn't filling, the bowl was just full and spiraling (it kept going for a solid 15 minutes). I shut it back off. What's the culprit here?

What are the do's and do not's for maintaining a house that's not currently occupied?
What are the steps one should take in this situation?

A part of believes I'm a bit of an idiot and it's just the water flowing back through the house after such a long period, but the other half of me is worried that I'm potentially damaging something. So it's better to seek counsel than to just go with it.

 

[Geofd]

is there a way to shut off the toilet and just fill from a faucet remove the aerator on the faucet and let it run for a while
sounds like the toilet internals may have dried out i believe there is vacuum breaker on those toilets you may be hearing air from that

 

[breplum]

Very generally speaking, you likely have some sort of plastic pipes and they certainly will experience a bit of sound if they were not pressurized.
But, that would stop after they get settled back in.
Always flush out the water lines to clear accumulated stagnant water.
The WC is in need of service.

 

[havasu]

I have a mobile home at Lake Havasu, where the temperatures can reach 125 degrees. When we arrive, we open up the main water valve and we also get that popping sound from the water heater. I open all faucets for at least 1/2 hour, purging the air and bad water from the lines and allowing the tank to fill up,I do leave the kitchen faucet running faucets until the smell is gone, which sometimes takes an hour. After the air stops spurting, and the rotten egg smell is gone, I then shut everything off and turn on the water heater and flush the toilets. I've been doing this for the last 22 years, and expect to do it another 20 years as long as the summer months are too brutal to even go out there.