4 Ways To Avoid Water Damage During a Vacation

3/24/2022 (Permalink)

When you return from Vacation, give your Home a good check-up by following these tips.

After returning home from vacation, the sight of flood rooms or landscaping is never a welcome sight. Unfortunately, there are many potential causes of flooding, such as a damaged appliance, frozen pipes, or a leak in the roof. Heavy storms in the winter or summer could cause flooding in the basement or a faucet that was left on could lead to water damage.

If you want to avoid the expensive damage caused by water, you need to think beyond water pipe repair.

Avoid Water Damage by Checking Your Home

1. Thoroughly Check Pipes, Appliances, and Your Home

Begin your inspections several weeks before your vacation. You may need to flush the water heater, replace an appliance, or schedule water pipe repair, and this could take some time to complete. Watch out for hoses that appear damaged, seals that are worn, signs of rust, cracks, and clogged gutters and downspouts.

2. Turn Off Water to Your Home

Shutting off the water at the main is one of the best ways to avoid water damage from a broken pipe when you're on vacation. If you don't want to turn off all the water, shut it off behind toilets and appliances, as well as underneath sinks. Once you've turned off the water, open the faucets to drain any remaining water from the pipes.

3. Turn Off the Water Heater

The water heater in your home contains a lot of water. Some newer heaters have a vacation mode that provides some protection. However, if you plan to be gone for a long time, it's best to completely turn the water heater off, so you can avoid a flooded basement when you return.

4. Ask a Neighbor To Check In

There are several benefits to having a friend check your home while you're gone, such as picking up newspapers, mail, and packages. They can care for pets and make sure your home looks as if you were still at home.

Returning home to leaking pipes or having to face water pipe repair as well as flood damage may be one of the worst ways to end a vacation. Sandy, UT, water damage repair and reconstruction professionals may have other valuable tips.