It’s hard to truly enjoy your summer vacation if you’re preoccupied thinking about all of the things that can potentially go wrong while you’re away. And no matter how many times you tell yourself you remembered to lock up and close the garage door, there’s always that little voice in the back of your head asking if there’s anything else you should have done.
Many people don’t take their home plumbing into consideration before going away, but it is important that you consider what could happen if you spring a leak and nobody’s around to shut off the main valve. Although most well-maintained plumbing systems will rarely experience an issue during a brief vacation, the possibility is still very real. Why run the risk of coming home to a plumbing catastrophe when it can easily be avoided?
If you’re planning to be away from home for more than just a day or two, take a minute and turn off your home’s main water valve. Not only will this prevent any unexpected problems, but it will also help give you peace of mind while you’re away.
It’s important to remember that shutting off the main water valve will also prevent you from using your garden watering system if you happen to have one. In this case, you should shut off only the valves that will allow your system to run properly.
One of the biggest benefits of going away (other than the awesome vacation, of course) is the amount of money you’ll save on utilities. There are a few other small things you can do to maximize your savings like:
- Shut off your automatic ice maker before you leave to save more water
- Shut off your water softening system before you leave to save electricity and salt
- Shut off your hot water heater. It’s one of your home’s biggest energy sucks and by simply turning it off you can greatly improve your savings. Many modern water heaters even have a “vacation setting,” ideal for conservation while you’re away.
Follow the suggestions mentioned above to make your summer vacation plumbing planning easier than ever. And you need help with or have questions about any of our conservation suggestions, feel free to reach out to one of our qualified experts today. We’re happy to assist you!