How to Get Your Home Ready Before You Take a Vacation

Making a few changes to your Saraland, Alabama, home before you take a vacation can help you prevent inconvenient problems and expensive repairs. Getting your home ready before you leave also gives you extra peace of mind so you can relax on your trip. Prepare your home before a vacation by unplugging appliances, turning off the water, adjusting your thermostat, and making your home look occupied.

Unplugging Your Appliances

Many electronics and appliances, like TVs, lamps, coffee pots, microwaves, and computers, use a small amount of power even when they’re turned off. You can save energy when you’re on vacation by unplugging unnecessary devices or turning surge protectors off. This also protects the appliances that don’t have surge protectors from fires caused by power surges while you’re gone. If your HVAC system doesn’t have a surge protector, you should have one installed by an HVAC professional.

Remember to unplug your refrigerator for longer trips as well since refrigerators use more energy than most other appliances. Remove perishable food before you unplug the fridge. This is also a good time to clean the inside of your refrigerator. Prop the fridge and freezer doors open to prevent mold. If you’re only leaving for a few days, you can still save energy by turning up the temperatures in your freezer and fridge.

Turning Off Your Water

A leak while you’re away could flood your basement or ruin your kitchen or bathroom. Even a small drip at a faucet or pipe could encourage damaging mold growth. Before you start your vacation, turn off your water by closing the valve on your home’s main supply line. That way, your outside sprinklers can still keep plants healthy.

You should also turn off your water heater’s circuit breaker or gas valve. Otherwise, it will keep heating the water in the tank until you get back. When you get back from your vacation, run the hot water tap for a while to get rid of the water sitting in the tank before you turn the circuit breaker or the gas valve back on. This can also raise the water level of the tank to protect it from heat damage.

Adjusting Your Thermostat

Before you leave, set your thermostat to a temperature that’s close to the weather outside your home to save energy. Keeping your HVAC system on protects your plants and furniture and helps you maintain your home’s indoor air quality. If you have pets, make sure the indoor temperature isn’t too warm or cold or keep them at a boarding facility during your vacation.

A programmable thermostat can return your home to a more comfortable temperature even before you get back. You can control some models from across the country with a smartphone or computer. Some also measure your home’s humidity and your HVAC system’s airflow and then tell you about potential problems.

Making Your Home Look Occupied

To give your home a lived-in look before you leave, trim your grass and hedges and rake any leaves. Have your mail forwarded or ask a neighbor to check it, take out your trash, and keep your lawn green with automatic sprinklers.

Also, you should close your blinds or curtains for privacy and energy savings. Park your car in your garage if you have one. You can ask a neighbor to create some activity at your house by parking in the driveway occasionally or checking on pets. Leave an outdoor light on an automatic timer or motion detector and turn out all the indoor lights to save energy before you leave. If you have a swimming pool, you should use a timer for your pool pump to keep it from operating around the clock.

Air Specialty is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer with more than 20 years of experience. We can inspect your HVAC system before you start your vacation to make sure that you return to a comfortable home, and we install, maintain, and repair a variety of HVAC systems. Call us anytime at (251) 415-4559 for expert help from a knowledgeable technician.

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