Winter Vacation
How to Prepare Your Home
Going away on vacation always requires some upfront preparations and arrangements, but if you live in an area of the country where the temperature regularly drops below freezing, you need to take some extra precautions. Here are some steps to prepare your home for your winter vacation -- and ensure that your return home is as stress free as your vacation was.
Check your plumbing. Before going away you'll want to turn off the water supply to your toilets, as well as the waterlines running to your washer. Also, drain or wrap insulation around any water pipes (hot or cold) that run through unheated areas such as crawl spaces or an unheated porch.
Adjust your thermostats down to a temperature around 50 or 55 degrees F. You'll need to keep some heat in your home to ensure that the water in the pipes doesn't freeze and that your plants stay healthy, but there's no need to heat it to a temperature comfortable for people.
Unplug electrical equipment like your computer, monitor, TV, cable box or satellite receiver along with smaller things like a digital picture frame. Most of these appliances have an "instant on" or a "keep warm" feature that consumes electricity while plugged in, but there's no need to leave them connected and using power while you're away. It's estimated that this so-called "phantom" power accounts for about 15 percent of a home's total power consumption.
Turn down the temperature of your water heater to conserve power or gas. If it's electric, you might even consider shutting it down completely since there won't be any need for hot water while you're away.
Remember to leave your interior doors open to allow air (and heat) to move inside your home while you're away. Allowing air movement will ensure that your entire home is heated to a minimal temperature and there won't be any cold rooms where a plant might freeze or a wall might crack from the cold.
Enlist a trusted neighbor, friend or relative to come to your home regularly to pick up any mail, newspapers or advertising fliers left around your door. If they're a really good friend, relative or neighbor, you could ask them to clear any fresh snow from your drive and sidewalk.
Tips & Warnings
Put an empty cardboard box inside the entrance to your home for newspapers and mail.
Placing a portable thermometer near the entrance will allow anyone putting in the mail to quickly know the temperature inside. This will make it easier for someone to be sure your furnace is working.
Check your home insurance coverage. Some policies require that a person physically enter the home at least once a day for your home insurance coverage to stay in effect.
When unplugging your electrical appliances, don't unplug your refrigerator -- without power, any food inside will spoil and the interior could get musty.