How to Make Your House Ready for Vacation
Leaving your home unattended while on vacation for weeks on end can be stressful if you aren’t properly prepared. Nothing is more stressful than receiving calls about a burst pipe or water leak while you’re half way across the world. Reduce stress and protect your property by performing these simple home maintenance tasks before you go away.
Put your Water Heater on Vacation Mode or Turn it Off Entirely
Many modern water heaters have a setting called “vacation mode” or “VAC.” Before you go away, you can program the water heater to stay on standby while you are gone and conserve energy. One of the great features of this setting is that on the day before your planned return; the water heater will turn back on so that you have hot water as soon as you get home.
If your water heater is an older model, it may not have this setting. In these cases, we recommend turning the thermostat to the lowest possible setting or turning the water heater off entirely. Regardless of what you do, making sure your water heater is conserving energy should be one of the first steps in your home maintenance vacation prep.
Shut Off your Main Water Valve
Another trick is to turn off the water to your home completely. If the water is turned off, you eliminate chances of experiencing a burst pipe or water leak while you are gone. Dripping faucets or leaking fixtures will also not be a problem and will help you save money while on your vacation.
Make sure the Garbage Disposal is Clean
If you have ever gone away for a few days and left food out, you’ll know what it’s like to come home to a rotten, rank smell in the kitchen. Before turning the water off in your home, you should make sure the garbage disposal is clean and free of any scrapes that may smell if left unattended.
The best way to do this is by running the disposal and pouring a mixture of warm water and white vinegar through the unit. This will clean the blades, remove any material that is stuck or lodged in there and keeps the disposal smelling fresh until you get back.
Unplug Everything
For added stress relief, unplug your appliances before leaving. Small electronics like your microwave and toaster can be easily unplugged, but we also recommend unplugging the larger appliances such as your oven and stove. If you are going to be gone for an extended period, it’s also a good idea to empty your refrigerator and freezer and unplug those too.
Before you leave, take a stroll throughout your home and check each room individually. By checking the rooms rather than thinking about your entire home, you can be sure that you have everything covered. All that’s left is to have an enjoyable and relaxing vacation.
For help with your home maintenance preparations or vacation plumbing checklist, call C&D Plumbing Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL at (954) 758-8169 today.