How to Prepare Your Home Utilities for Summer Vacation

Temperatures are heating up, and many people are beginning to think about their upcoming summer vacations. Holidays offer a great chance to take a break from your normal busy routine and to relax for a few days or weeks. However, before you leave your home there are a few things you’ll want to do to prepare your home utilities.

Prevent damage and save money

Problems that would be easy to fix if you caught them right away can become majorly expensive if they’re allowed to grow worse for days or weeks – and there are few things worse than coming home from a vacation and finding out that your home has experienced damage from a plumbing leak or electrical fire.

But preparing your home won’t just prevent damage—it can decrease your utility bills and prolong the lives of your home’s water, plumbing, and A/C systems.

Here are some tips for protecting your utilities:

• Check your sprinkler system. Double check that you aren’t watering in the middle of the afternoon, and also make sure to take into account any summertime watering bans or schedules your town may have implemented.
• Be sure to set your thermostat. Some professionals advise against turning your A/C off completely—the intense summer heat can cause damage to your home—but you should set it to a higher temperature than normal. There’s no reason to pay lots of money to cool an empty house.
• If you’re going to be gone for an extended period, shut off your home’s main water valve. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of water damage.
• For longer vacations, either turn off your water heater or turn the thermostat down.
• Unplug all appliances and electronics. This will reduce the risk of an electrical fire.

Following these steps will help conserve energy, save you money, and prevent damage to your utilities. If something should go wrong with your plumbing or water heater system, call Shamrock Plumbing at 801-505-9505 or visit us online.