Vacations are exciting, but they can certainly be stressful when you’re preparing for them, especially when it comes to your house. Knowing what steps to take with your plumbing system can significantly decrease stress, helping you feel confident that you did everything possible to protect your home. It can also put your mind at ease that there are few risks that anything will go wrong while you’re gone, whether you’re going away for a few days or months.
Why Do I Need to Prep My Plumbing Before Going on Vacation?
When you’re home, you’ll likely notice within several hours if something is wrong with your plumbing system. For example, you might notice water pooling on the floor near the washing machine or hear strange noises from your drains. It’s not as easy while you’re away for an extended time.
Prepping your plumbing before vacation decreases the risks of extensive water damage, such as water leaking from an appliance. Don’t take chances of ruining a wonderful vacation by returning home to soggy belongings, horrible odors, and black mold. There are multiple precautions you can take to save yourself the stress and clean-up costs.
Install Smart Water Leak Detectors
Smart water leak detectors have become one of the best tools to help homeowners know when there’s an issue with their plumbing system, even if they’re not home. Rather than noticing a leak after it’s already caused damage, homeowners can get a notification sent right to their smartphone from the device, notifying them that there’s a potential problem.
These detectors go near any water-using appliances, features, or devices in your home, including dishwashers, sinks, and toilets. However, they need perfect positioning for them to work properly. We can set them up for you so you can rest assured that you’ll get notified if there’s a problem, whether you’re across town or the country.
Shut Off the Main Water Supply
Shutting off your main water supply is crucial to protecting your home while you’re on vacation. It can be almost anywhere in your home but typically in an easy-to-reach basement area. Make sure you shut it off all the way (not partially) the day you leave to prevent any problems.
Get a Plumbing Inspection Before Leaving
Getting a plumbing inspection a couple of weeks before vacation serves many purposes. For starters, we can assess your well pump, water-using appliances, sink and shower fixtures, and other areas to ensure everything is operating as it should.
We’ll check for damage, including leaks, corrosion, cracks, and any other types of problems. Our team has extensive experience spotting even the smallest issues before they turn into huge problems, allowing you to deal with them early before they put your home at risk and cost you more to repair.
An inspection will also allow us to tell you about the condition of your plumbing system. Depending on the severity of the plumbing problems, you may want to get them fixed before you leave for vacation or schedule an appointment for when you return.
Do a Self-Inspection Before Leaving
It’s still important to do a self-inspection right before you leave for vacation, even if we determine your plumbing system is in perfect condition. Unfortunately, things can still go wrong after you depart. Check everything a day or two before you leave (or even better if it’s the day of). Look underneath your sinks, near water-using appliances, and around your outdoor faucets to make sure there are no issues.
Have a Loved One on Standby
A trusted loved one should be on standby to look after your home while you’re on vacation, including checking that your water-using appliances and fixtures have no leaks or other problems. Leave our number for them, so if they spot any issues, such as an overflowing toilet, they can call us immediately.
When they leave for vacation, many homeowners unfortunately don’t leave their plumber’s number behind for the person looking after their home. This could lead to significant issues. For example, you might leave your phone behind while you go swimming, you’re in a different time zone, or your battery died. If so, your house sitter won’t know who to call if there’s a plumbing emergency.
Set Up Cameras in Key Areas
Numerous homeowners have security systems set up so they can check in on things throughout the day, especially if they have pets. However, there are others who only have these systems set up outdoors. If they have cameras inside, they’re likely trained in main areas, like the living room, foyer, side door, and/or back door. However, these areas aren’t where plumbing issues occur.
Set up additional cameras aimed at key areas, such as in the bathrooms, kitchen sinks and appliances, and your washer. This can allow you to see if a plumbing emergency happens, such as if your appliance starts leaking or the toilet overflows. Make sure to let your loved one checking on your house know about the new camera additions and angles, and don’t forget to remove them when you arrive back home.
You should do this even if you have smart water leak detectors set up. These devices will notify you of a problem but won’t show you exactly what’s happening.
Turn Off Your Water Heater
You should turn off your water heater even if you turn off the main water supply. The appliance will continue drawing energy even though it no longer has a water source. This will unnecessarily increase your utility bills and could be a safety risk.
Unplug/Turn Off Valves on Appliances
The water heater got a special mention. However, you should also turn off the valves on any other water-using appliances in your home, such as the washing machine and dishwasher, before going on vacation. It’s vital even if you already shut off the main water supply as a precautionary measure. There may be residual water remaining in the hoses or components that could leak while you’re away.
A small amount of water might not seem like a big deal, but it can easily become one. Not only can it damage your floors, walls, and ceilings, depending on the amount, but it could also lead to mold growth, which can start within 24 to 48 hours. Mold will continue to grow until it’s properly removed, which is particularly problematic if you live in a humid environment and go on vacation for an extended time.
Turn Off Your Fridge Ice Maker
It’s a good idea to turn off your refrigerator’s ice maker before going on vacation. If the ice maker continues to run while you’re away and the water line has a problem or leaks, it could cause water damage. Turning it off minimizes the risk of leaks and corresponding mold growth.
It’s important to note that if you turn off the main water supply but leave the fridge plugged in, you should still turn off the ice maker separately to prevent any leaks or malfunctions. However, if you turn off both the main water supply and unplug the fridge, you don’t have to worry about turning off the ice maker.
Leave for vacation with no worries about returning to a plumbing disaster. Contact Spartan Plumbing today for plumbing inspections, installations, maintenance, and repairs in Fort Myers or Sarasota, FL. Call our veteran-owned business from Monday through Friday for standard appointments or 24/7 for emergency appointments in Southwest Florida.
