The typical vacation preparation list includes things like finding the perfect swimsuit and booking tours. However, one often-overlooked task is just as essential. If you want your vacation to go smoothly, it’s important to prepare your West Virginia home. A few simple steps can protect your plumbing and prevent major issues later on.
Why Do You Need to Prepare Your Plumbing Before You Leave?
Some people make the mistake of thinking they only need to protect their plumbing before they leave for winter vacations. While it’s true you don’t need to worry about frozen pipes in the summer, there are still other things to think about.
Plumbing disasters can happen at any time. And unfortunately, if your pipes spring a leak while you’re gone, you can come back to a flooded home. If you don’t want to risk a major emergency that ruins your home and all your belongings, it pays to be prepared. Taking case of a few simple chores before you leave for a trip can save you a lot of money in the future.
If you plan on being gone overnight, it’s a good idea to at least take a few preliminary protection steps. It’s even more important to prepare your plumbing if you’ll be gone for a week or more. Your risk of a plumbing disaster increases with each day your home is left alone, so it’s worthwhile to do a thorough inspection of your house before any longer trips.
Essential Plumbing Steps to Take Before You Leave
Vacation-proofing your plumbing is all about preventing situations that could cause gallons of water to flood into your home while you’re gone. Follow this checklist to make sure you protect your plumbing from most unexpected issues while you’re on vacation.
Turn Off Your Water Main
One of the first and most important things you should do is shut off your main water supply valve. Usually, this is a valve with a red or blue handle that is located somewhere on the exterior of your house. Turning the valve will shut off water flowing to your house, and it’s the best way to deal with a leak. Shutting off the water supply means that your house can’t flood with nonstop water during a leak. It’s also helpful because it stops dripping taps from wasting water while you are gone.
Turn Off Your Water Heater
Start by taking a look at your water heater settings. Some water heaters may have a vacation mode, or you can turn the appliance off altogether. This task serves two purposes. It ensures you aren’t wasting energy heating water you won’t be using. It also ensures your hot water heater isn’t running heating cycles, so you’re less likely to have issues with your burner and other components.
Flush All Your Toilets
Right before you leave, flush all your toilets to get rid of any debris and empty the water from the tank into the bowl. However, don’t flush it so much that the bowl empties. Leaving water in the bowl keeps the P-trap full, so you don’t have to worry about sewer gases leaking into your home. If you’re going to be gone weeks or months, add a thin layer of mineral oil to the bowl as well. This will stop evaporation, so your toilet won’t dry out.
Drain Your Pipes
While shutting off your water main stops fresh water from entering your home, it doesn’t do anything to remove the water already in your pipes. If you’re concerned about a leaky pipe causing a mess, you can take steps to reduce the amount of residual water in your pipes.
The easiest way to do this is by waiting until your main supply is off and then opening the highest and lowest faucets in your house. This helps to get rid of water sitting in your pipes, so there is less of a risk of a leak. This step is especially advisable if your vacation starts at the beginning of summer. Just in case there is an unseasonably late freeze, you can reduce the risk of pipes bursting.
Turn Off Water to Your Major Appliances
Another potential source for a leak or plumbing problem is all of your major appliances that use water. This includes your washing machine, dishwasher, and refrigerator. If any of this equipment malfunctions, it can end up spitting water all over your floors and walls. To lower the chances of this happening, go ahead and shut off the water supply valve running to each of them. For your refrigerator, you can also manually turn off the ice maker. This step keeps your refrigerator from damaging itself by trying to make ice while the water is off.
Disconnect Outdoor Hoses and Sprinklers
Take the time to walk around outside and disconnect your outdoor water systems as well. Remove and put away your hoses, and turn off your automated sprinkler system if you have one. Though these devices usually cannot cause huge leaks when the main water supply is off, it’s still a good idea to turn them off and put them away. This will protect your outdoor plumbing from exposure to the damaging elements while you’re gone.
Test Your Sump Pump
If your home has a sump pump, make sure to give it a test before you leave. Since the sump pump helps to remove rising groundwater, it’s essential for protecting your home from summer floods. To test your sump pump, pour a 5-gallon bucket of water into the pit. If your sump pump is working correctly, you should hear it turn on and see that the water drains. Finally, make sure the pump quits running once it finishes removing the water. This test will make sure the pump’s sensors and electrical system are in good working order before you leave.
Get a Plumbing Inspection
While all of the above steps are useful for cutting back on damage from potential leaks, there is one more essential step to take. Schecule a plumbing inspection before you go on your trip. During an inspection, a plumber will test your systems and look for potential issues. If they notice anything, they can alert you to the issue and let you know if it’s likely to cause problems during your trip. This useful step can be a great way to keep plumbing problems from arising.
Let Us Help You Get Ready for Summer
Planning on having a fun summer vacation soon? Don’t let plumbing stress you out. Childers Air Plumbing & Electric is here to help you prepare. Our team provides expert plumbing maintenance services throughout Beckley and other parts of West Virginia. We can inspect your system, resolve any issues, and let you know about essential preventive steps to take before you leave.
Give yourself one less thing to worry about while you are on vacation. Contact Childers Air Plumbing & Electric today to schedule an appointment at your Beckley home.
