How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Vacation: Avoid Surprises When You Return
Planning a vacation and want to make certain your plumbing is in proper condition? Then, prior to loading up your luggage, here are some things to take into consideration. This post will provide an overview of why it’s essential to prepare your plumbing before leaving, the steps to ensure they’re taken properly, along with what could potentially happen if they are not.
Shutting Off the Main Water Supply
One of the first important details required in preparing your plumbing for vacation is to switch off the main water supply. By doing this, any leaks that may arise while away will be avoided and potential flooding or other damages within your home minimized with just a little bit of prep.
Another step? Verify all faucets and valves are closed and turned off. Another part of your plumbing system to shut down if you’re going to be away for a while is the water heater; however, if not possible, open its drain valve to let the held hot water escape when switching the power off later on for winterizing reasons.
Checking for Leaks and Repairs
When you’re ready to take off on your big vacation, inspect your home’s plumbing and see whether or not there are any leaks or other ‘suspicious’ issues you might want to fix.
Look out for slow drips and leaks under faucets as well as around them and the valves; these can account for a huge discrepancies in your water usage over time. If you find any issues, shut off the water for that section and perform some necessary repairs before stepping away.
Maintaining Your Plumbing System While Away
If you’re planning on taking off for the winter season, raise the thermostat as much as you’d be comfortable with to diminish the chances of any pipes freezing due to colder temperatures. If there is a likelihood of extreme cold, keep all faucets in your home on a steady drip, especially if your residence contains copper or galvanized pipes, instead of PVC material. Other than that, think about asking somebody reliable such as a neighbor or friend to check the premises during your absence.
Turning the Water Supply Back On
Once you turn the water off, the next step is turning it back on again.
First, confirm there is no leaks, then run each faucet for a few minutes to pour any stale water that might be hanging out in your pipes. Before reopening the shut-off valve, double-check everything beforehand. You wouldn’t want to end up spraying water from some open pipe you’d been fixing minutes ago.
Conclusion for How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Vacation
Now equipped with the vital information needed to equip your plumbing for a trip, you should be capable of taking care of all the little details! Don’t forget to use this checklist prior to embarking on your next adventure – you’ll be pleased to come home and find that everything in your home is just as perfect as you’d left it!
But, if you do have some issues when you get back, it might be time to call in a professional plumbing service to check things over for you.
