Sunshine and warmer weather means it’s time to start thinking about summer vacation again. While you and your family are off having a good time, you don’t want to have to worry about what’s going on at home. Here are some tips for essential home maintenance you should take care of before you leave so you’ll have peace of mind during your restful break:
- Have a trusted friend or relative take care of your home, plants and pets while you’re away. Just by going in and out occasionally, they’ll be able to maintain your home’s “lived in” look. If you can’t find anyone to housesit, take your pets to a boarding service and suspend mail and newspaper deliveries to your home until you get back.
- Turn off the air conditioning system. If pets will still be in your home, turn the cooling system to 85 degrees to maintain a reasonable temperature.
- Shut off your home’s water supply at the main valve. With no water flowing through the pipes, there’s no chance of leaks, broken pipes or other water damage.
- Turn your water heater’s temperature to 120 degrees or lower. If you’re going to be gone for several days or longer, shut off the water heater entirely.
- Unplug any appliances, electronics or other energy-consuming items to keep them from unnecessarily using even small amounts of electricity.
- Turn off indoor and outdoor lights that you don’t need for security. Install a timer on some indoor lights so that they will sometimes turn on, stay on for a while, then turn off. This saves energy and gives the appearance of someone being at home.
- Discard food that may spoil while you’re away. Take trash out for regular pick-up or disposal before you leave.
- Set your security system if you have one. Make sure anyone tending to your house knows the system’s shut-off and activation codes and emergency phone numbers.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning has offered HVAC sales, service and repairs to customers in Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga Counties for 33 years. Contact us today for more advice on home maintenance and vacation preparation.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Energy 1 Heating services the Lorain, OH area. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area