With holidays upcoming, many of us travel to visit friends and family. But how do you keep your home safe while you are away?<\/p>\n
Today, water damage is one of the most common insurance claims and frozen pipes can lead to an incredible amount of water damage in your home. When you are on vacation during the cold winter months, you can come back to some severe damage. Today, an average claim for water damage can exceed $6,000. That is a headache you don\u2019t need. Before you go away for the holidays, here are some ways you can ensure that your pipes won\u2019t freeze while you are gone.<\/p>\n
Do a preliminary leak check before you go away. Small leaks can lead to large ones when you least expect it. Look for any small leaks and corroded areas that may need attention. Look for any areas that may appear wet or rusted and call a Philadelphia plumber to check out the area.<\/p>\n
Your household appliance hoses may not be areas that you consider on a daily basis but this is exactly why you need to make this an area of inspection. Any of these hoses are subject to freezing and could burst. Check for any leaky fittings or loose connections.<\/p>\n
The best way to ensure that your home doesn\u2019t experience a flood when you are gone is by completely shutting off the main valve to your home\u2019s water. This may be outside near your water meter or in your basement. You should test this once a year just to make sure the valve is easily operable.<\/p>\n
If you have shut off your main valve, you will want to drain each interior line so water is not sitting inside the line. Open the taps inside the home as well as any outdoors and let any remaining water drain out.<\/p>\n
If shutting off the main valve is inconvenient or impossible, you can shut off each individual line to each plumbing fixture. Sinks, faucets, and toilets have dedicated shutoff valves. Remember to shut off any water supplies to your washer and refrigerator.<\/p>\n
Insulation sleeves are easy to find at any hardware store or home improvement center. Insulating your plumbing pipes is further precaution against pipes freezing in your home while you are away. For those hard-to-reach areas, you may want to call a Philadelphia plumber<\/a> for assistance.<\/p>\n If there is a leak in your home, the water will flow to the lowest place which will be your basement or crawlspace. May sure that your sump pump is working properly in order to keep water damage to a minimum.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t have to be kept as high as you would normally set it, but keeping it set above 50 degrees Fahrenheit is a good way to ensure against pipes freezing while you are gone.<\/p>\n Keep all interior doors open including cabinet doors. This allows the warmer air to freely circulate throughout the home.<\/p>\n With a smart thermostat, if you see that the weather will be particularly frigid, you can set the thermostat accordingly with a touch of your app on your smartphone.<\/p>\nCheck Your Sump Pump<\/h3>\n
Keep the Heat On<\/h3>\n
Keep Interior Doors Open<\/h3>\n
Install a Smart Thermostat<\/h3>\n