Prepare Your Plumbing for Vacation

When you plan your vacation, you also know you have to get your home ready in your absence. Unfortunately, a lot of people neglect their plumbing before leaving. If you’re going on a long trip – more than one month – it pays to prepare your pipes.

One of the biggest reasons that you need to focus on your plumbing before leaving for vacation is the potential chance of a catastrophe. The odds that a pipe leaks and destroys your home during vacation are minimal. But, the repercussions of this occurring are huge.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to prevent water damage from ruining your home while you are away on vacation. All you have to do is shut off the main water supply to your home. There should be a shut off at the front of your house, where your main water supply comes in; it should be a handle of some type. If not located there, the City shut off is located out by the curb at the main water meter. You may need a meter key to turn this off, so if you do not call a plumber, you need to call your city water department, as some prefer to shut it off themselves.

When your home is unoccupied, you will obviously cut down on your energy bill and other expenses. While it’s true you will be saving money by not doing laundry, washing dishes or taking showers, there are actually a few additional steps you can take to create even more savings from your plumbing during your absence.

The biggest plumbing savings, however, will normally come from shutting off your water heater. Almost all gas water heaters have a “vacation” setting you can adjust the thermostat to. If you have an electric water heater, just simply turn off the breaker to it. Please note if you have a circulating pump you will need to reset the timer.

For more help getting your home vacation ready contact Keithley Plumbing at www.keithleyplumbing.com, or by calling (626) 449-0387. They are located at 3579 E. Foothill Blvd. #227, Pasadena.