It’s that time of year again when many of us are making travel plans and preparing to go on vacation. While this can be an exciting time to see family, friends and enjoy yourself it can also be stressful, and not just because of the traveling. To ensure you can have a relaxed stress-free holiday we at Trojan Plumbing have put together a simple checklist to ensure your holiday runs smoothly and that you don’t have to come home early from holiday for any plumbing emergency or to find out when you return that something went terribly wrong.
HOLIDAY VACATION PLUMBING CHECKLIST
SHUT OFF THE WATER
First thing we would recommend is to find the main water valve for your home and turn it off. Most people do not consider this, but if something inside your home breaks, having the main valve turned off will prevent your house from flooding. If for some reason your water valve is not accessible, or you are not sure where it is located, shutting off the valves for your sinks and toilets can also minimize damage should something break.
CHECK APPLIANCES AND WATER VALVES
As you make your way around the house, be sure to check your appliances. Take a look at your geyser, washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, etc. Look for any dampness or standing water around these appliances and give Trojan a call l if something is found and one of our experienced plumbers will come out to assess the situation.
ADJUST SETTINGS
There is no need to heat your water while you are away for a long period of time. If you are not going to arrange a house sitter, turn your geyser off. While this may not directly be a plumbing issue, it will save you money.
On a similar note, if you have a spa or pool at your home, turn down the thermostat on that as well and DO NOT turn off the water pump for your pool, as algae can grow quickly.
GET A HOUSE SITTER
Even after all the tips above, one of the best things you can do is to get a house sitter. They can either check on your home daily or stay at the house while you’re away. This is great way to make sure that should something go wrong, there is someone there to deal with it immediately and notify you as soon as possible.
You should do a walk-through of your home a few days before you are scheduled to leave and should you spot something that is wrong, this will provide you time to give us a call to assist you in fixing the problem before you go away.
Traveling during the holidays can be stressful enough. By following the tips above, you can rest easy knowing that you can enjoy your holiday and everything at home will be ok. Trojan Plumbing are always available to help our clients whenever it is needed to give you peace of mind and to help you have a relaxed holiday!
