Prepare Your Home For Vacation
Home Check List – Hints, Tips & Reminders
Summer is here and that means summer vacations! As you start to plan your get-a-way, you should also plan to check a few things around your home before you leave so when you return everything is just the way it was before you left. Here are some items to look over before you head out the door to relax and rejuvenate.
MAIN WATER VALVE:
REMINDER: Shut off the main water valve in your home. This will help prevent a flooding disaster while you are gone. If a pipe should break in the home while you are gone, water will continue to run unless the main water is shut off. Shutting off the main water valve could save you a LOT of money!
TIP: The main water valve is usually found in the basement and will be either a gate valve (this is a round handle that you turn with your hand to the right to shut the water off) or a ball valve (this has a lever that you turn 90% until it is perpendicular to the pipe to shut the water off). To check if the main water valve is shut off simply run water in one of your sinks – if the water stops coming out, you have successfully shut the main water off. Don’t forget to turn it back on when you get home!
SUMP PUMP:
REMINDER: Test your sump pump before you leave to make sure it is working properly. The sump pump can usually be found in the basement or crawlspace of your home and it’s designed to help keep the area under the home dry and to prevent it from flooding.
TIP: To test your sump pump, pour water into the sump pump pit to make the water level rise. The pump should kick on and start to drain the water out of the pit. If it doesn’t, check the outlet it is plugged into to make sure you have power. If it still doesn’t pump the water out of the pit, you may need to have it replaced.
WATER HEATER:
REMINDER: Check the floor around your water heater to make sure you don’t have any leaks. Check the cold and hot water feeds coming in to the water heater to make sure there is no corrosion build up (a sign of a small leak).
TIP: Set your water heater to a lower “vacation” setting while you are gone so it is not using energy to heat up water. This will help save energy and can save you a little on your energy bill as well! Don’t forget to turn it back up when you get home!
DRAINS:
TIP: When kitchen, bathroom or shower drains are not used for a while, they can create an unpleasant smell due to bacteria build up. It is a good idea to run water with “Bio-Clean” down each drain before you leave. Bio-Clean is an environmentally safe product that our technicians carry on their trucks. It helps eliminate bacteria build up in your drains which will help eliminate odors.
HINT: Contact Brothers and we will mail you a can right away!
AIR CONDITIONING UNIT:
REMINDER: Turn the AC Unit off so it is not cooling an empty house while you are gone. This will help save energy help you save a little on your energy bill! If you prefer to leave it on, set it at a higher temperature so at least it is not working too hard while you are away.
APPLIANCES:
REMINDER: Make sure you unplug any appliances (toaster, coffee maker, computers, etc.) that you will not be using while you are gone. This will help save energy as well as eliminate a possible electrical problem in the home while you are away.
TIP: If your appliances are plugged into a surge protector, unplug the surge protector. This will eliminate power going to any device that is plugged in to the surge protector and you will not have to worry about any surges ruining your electronics.
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS:
TIP: Ask a favor of a family member, friend or neighbor you trust. Have them check on your home from time to time just to make sure everything looks ok. Make sure they know how to get ahold of you in case of an emergency. One quick browse around can help prevent a potential disaster while you are gone. Let them know that if they help you, you will return the favor when they go on their summer vacation!
We hope that when you plan your vacation, you take the time to go through this list just to give you peace of mind while you are away. While doing your checking, if you see something that looks suspicious or you feel it may cause a problem while you are away, give us a call at (303) 468-2294. We will be glad have our Safety Certified, Professionally Trained Technician put your mind at ease. Enjoy your Summer Vacation and most of all be safe!
