5 Ways to prevent disaster at home while on vacation
Vacations are a great way to decompress and de-stress, but there’s nothing worse than coming home from vacation only to discover a plumbing accident or electrical fire occurred while you were away. Accidents can happen no matter how well you prepare, but following these tips can greatly reduce your risk of a major loss while you are on away.
1. Close the water main before going on vacation
If you are going to be away for an extended amount of time, consider shutting off the water main. To lower your risk the most, it is important to open the all the taps and drain any water remaining in pipes and appliances.
By closing the main and draining the pipes, there’s virtually no risk of returning from vacation to a flooded or water-damaged home. A significant leak or broken pipe on the top floor of a home has the potential to damage the entire structure, all the way down to the foundation.
2. Can’t close The main? CLose individual valves
Sometimes turning off the main isn’t an option when going on vacation. If you need the main to stay open to run a heating system in the winter, a sprinkler system in the summer, or live in a shared building without access to the main, you can simply turn off the water supply at individual valves too. This includes toilets, sinks, washing machines, tubs, water heaters, water filters, and outdoor spigots. While you’re at it, check the condition of the water heater and it’s valves twice as they are the most likely appliance to fail and cause a massive leak.
3. OPEN non-essential Electrical circuit breakers
When talking about the flow of electricity, the terms are the opposite of the terms used for water. "Closing” a water valve shuts off the supply, and “Opening” an electrical circuit stops the flow of electricity. By opening (turning off) circuit breakers or removing fuses in a fuse box, you’ll greatly reduce the chance of an electrical fire. Make sure to leave these essential breakers closed (turned on):
Refrigerator
Sump pump
Wi-Fi router and any smart home devices
HVAC if going away during extreme heat or cold.
If you’re not comfortable turning the breakers on and off, the next best thing to do is to unplug everything that is non-essential. However, unplugging alone won’t prevent any issues that can occur within the wiring itself. Opening the breakers is always a safer route. Old wiring and wiring connections more likely to become loose and short out or arc. Arc faults are especially dangerous. Arcing can cause a slow, smoldering fire as wiring connections start to overheat but do not trip a traditional breaker. Upgrading older homes to arc-fault breakers can greatly reduce the risk of fire when home or on vacation.
4. Invest in Wi-Fi cameras and leak detectors
A smart leak detector installed near your water heater can alert you on vacation anywhere in the world as soon as moisture is detected. Coupled with a Wi-Fi camera, you’ll be able to see any issues in real-time as they unfold. Most Wi-Fi cameras can also be programmed to alert your cell phone whenever movement is detected within in your home. As devastating as a break-in can be, imagine coming home to the damage caused by a break-in and mold or warped floors from water coming in via a broken window during a storm.
5. Have someone check the property every few days
If possible, have a trusted friend or neighbor stop by every few days while on vacation. A slow leaking fixture can lose 5-15 gallons of water a day. A broken half-inch pipe can leak up to 15 gallons per minute. That’s 900 gallons an hour and 21,600 gallons per day, or enough to cover a 20x40 area in 3.5 ft of water. If you have someone checking in, the damage will be far less extensive than what it would be without. Imagine how much damage could be caused by that same broken pipe spilling over 80,000 gallons of water in 5 days!
We hope you’ve found these tips useful and you’ll try them out next time you go on vacation. If you do return from vacation and find damage that occurred while you were away, trust American Restoration Solutions to get your home and contents back to their original condition quickly and professionally.