If you’re taking a vacation this winter, you want to relax and not worry about any problems back here at home. When you’re making a list of must-do items to take care of before you leave, be sure to add the following vacation maintenance tasks that can help you save energy and avert possible damage to your home.
Shut Off the Water Supply
Close your main water valve so a uncontrolled flood won’t occur if a pipe freezes and bursts. To reduce the chances of your pipes freezing, leave the cabinet doors open under your sinks, and shut the supply valves and drain any water pipes in exterior walls and other areas vulnerable to freezing.
Power Down the Water Heater
On an electric storage tank model, shut off the circuit breaker to save energy. If you have a gas water heater, turn the valve to “pilot” or completely off.
Schedule Furnace Maintenance
If you haven’t had the furnace checked this fall, schedule an appointment now so you’ll know it’s in good working condition and unlikely to fail while you’re gone. If there are issues that need repair, be sure to get them taken care of before you head out.
Lower Your Thermostat Temperature
With a manual model, set the temperature at 50 degrees. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can take advantage of its vacation mode feature and program in your return date so the house is toasty warm when you get back.
Pay Attention to Air Circulation
On the day you plan to leave, check that all the heating registers are open and not blocked by items that could hinder proper airflow. When you’re doing a final check of the house, make sure that all of the interior doors are left open too.
Put in a Fresh Furnace Filter
When you make sure the filter is clean, there’s less chance that overheating from restricted system airflow will trigger an emergency shut down when no one is there to reset it.
To learn more vacation maintenance tips for your Indianapolis home, contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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