HOW TO Prepare your Home for Vacation

You may be already dreaming of white sand beaches in preparation for your Christmas vacation in a couple of weeks, and I’m betting you already have your vacation checklist ready to go. In our area – people are frequently flying off to tropical islands at some point during these frigid winter days.

However, you don’t want to rush off in too big of a hurry, at least without making sure your home is ready! If you’re heading off on vacation for more than just a few days, it’s a good idea to make a few preparations to make sure you don’t walk into a plumbing disaster zone when you return.

Your 4 Tip Vacation Checklist – for your home:

Turn off the main water feed to your house. During the winter season, you should also drain your pipers to prevent them from freezing. If your pipes freeze, they could burst, causing a major flood.
If you have a gas water heater, turn the dial of the gas valve to the lowest setting possible. Some dials have a ‘vacation’ setting for this purpose.
Double check to make sure your sump pump is working properly.
1. Like any other home appliance, a sump pump requires the occasional maintenance checkup. To make sure your sump pump is working properly:
  1. Unplug the sump pump
  2. Dump 5 gallons of water into the pit
  3. Plug the pump back in and check to see if it is pumping out the water
  4. Go outside to check that the pump is actually discharging water. Sometimes the pump will run, but it won’t pump any water out.
Reduce the heat in your home if you are going during winter. This may not necessarily be a safety concern, but why pay to heat a home that you aren’t in. Make sure not to drop it down too low – but you can save a few pennies this way.

Going away on vacation should a time for relaxation and getting away from the everyday hustle and bustle. Make sure that you can come home and prolong that vacation relaxation for as long as possible. Follow the above steps to keep your home running smoothly and efficiently while you are gone.