Thinking about taking a spring vacation soon? We don’t need to tell you how much planning it takes, but what you might now realize is what needs to be done at home before you leave. Here are some things that we would suggest:
Turn Off Your Water Valves
No matter how long you’re gone on vacation, there’s always the possibility — however slim — that a pipe could burst. Returning home to a flooded home is the last thing you ever want, so turn off the water valves to your home’s toilets, sinks, dishwasher, and washing machine.
Adjust the Temperature
You don’t want to leave your thermostat on for the entire time you’re out of town, because you’ll only succeed in wasting a bunch of energy on cooling or heating that isn’t actually helping anyone. You can turn off the unit if you’d like, but another choice is the use of a programmable thermostat that you can use to switch your systems on and off intermittently.
Put Your Lights on a Timer
Potential burglars might notice if your lights are off all day and night, but you probably don’t want to waste energy by leaving them on all the time. The best way to handle this is by putting the lights on a timer.
Switch Off the Water Heater
It’ll be a total waste to keep your water hot when no one is going to be home. The solution is simple — all you have to do is turn off the water heater until you get back from your spring vacation.
Stop Your Mail
If your mail stacks up, it’ll become obvious that you’re gone for an extended time. You can avoid this by stopping your mail and any newspapers you receive. And definitely make sure that you’re not expecting any packages or similar deliveries.
If you’d like additional assistance on preparing your home before you leave for a spring vacation, or have any other questions related to home comfort, please contact the experts at Ace Hardware Home Services. We’ve been serving the HVAC needs of Dayton and the surrounding area for three generations.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
