How To Prep A Home’s Plumbing For A Long Vacation

Whether you are heading off on vacation or have a second home where you are going to be for the next few months, take some time to prep your current home’s plumbing for the period you’ll be gone. Here at Ben Franklin Plumbing, we’ve encountered numerous situations where people returned home and found significant water damage had taken place during their absence. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, here are a few suggestions we have for prepping your plumbing system.

Turning Off Water at the Main
If you turn off your water at the main, we consider this to be the most important step you can take in avoiding a plumbing disaster while you’re gone.

Drain Your Pipes
Once the water is turned off, we suggest you drain the water out of your home’s pipes by turning on the faucets and letting them run a bit. Once everything is drained, remember to of course turn off the faucets.

Disconnect Outside Hoses
If you have garden hoses connected to an outside spigot, disconnect these before you leave. If you don’t, you run the risk of water freezing up and bursting a pipe, leading to major water damage.

Clean Gutters and Downspouts
While you may not think of your gutters and downspouts as being part of your home’s plumbing system, we do here at Ben Franklin Plumbing. By cleaning out your guttering and downspouts before your extended absence, you’ll prevent water from backing up into your home or causing a roof leak, both of which will present you with plenty of water damage when you walk through your front door.

Turn Off the Water Heater
Along with preventing a leak that could cause widespread water damage, turning off your water heater will also keep unwanted water from cycling through the heater while you are away.

By checking these details off your to-do list prior to leaving, you can be sure you’ll come back and find everything just as you left it. If you have additional questions or need plumbing assistance at your home, contact us here at Ben Franklin Plumbing.