I am preparing to head out of town for a month-long vacation this summer. What are some precautions I should take around my home to prepare it for my prolonged absence?
“Taking steps to prepare your home for an extended absence, whether you are gone for a week or a month, can ensure you return to a safe and secure house,” says Tim Hennelly of Little Rock, owner of Casa Buena home inspections. “It can also mean you didn’t think once about what might go wrong at home while you are enjoying your vacation.”
For those who cannot afford to or do not want to hire a house sitter, Hennelly recommends taking the following steps to secure their homes and keep them safe from burglars.
“Install timers for several lights and set them to go on and off at different times,” he says, adding that residents should also make arrangements to cancel their newspaper delivery and mail delivery and consider also informing their local law enforcement office of the forthcoming absence.
Be sure to lock the deadbolts on all the doors upon leaving, arm any alarm systems, and take extra precaution to secure the garage door.
“Unplug the garage door opener and lock the door handle,” Hennelly says. “If you do not have a locking handle, install a padlock in the side rail of the garage door to prevent it from being lifted. Some thieves are quite skilled at disengaging the garage door from the opener. If they cannot lift the door, they cannot get in.”
Also, before and during the trip, take care not to announce it on social media outlets like Facebook. Have a neighbor or friend stop by the house once in a while just to check on it, give him the code to any alarm system, and leave a phone number where he can reach you.
In addition to making sure the house has been properly secured, residents should also take steps to avoid any home emergencies.
“Over the years my wife and I have experienced coming home from a trip having to deal with a variety of ‘emergencies,’” Hennelly recalls. “Once it was water all over the kitchen floor from a refrigerator ice maker line leak. Another time it was returning to our New York home in January to find that we had no heat. How cold was it? It was so cold that when the old radiator burst in one room, the leaking water which covered the entire floor froze and actually prevented water damage to the hardwood floors. Another time it was returning from a summer vacation to an air conditioner which was not operating,” Hennelly says.
“And one does not have to be gone long for something to go wrong,” he adds. “Each of these things happened within a week’s period of time.”
He recommends taking the following steps to avoid such mishaps.
Consider turning the water off to the entire house orat least at the interior shutoff valves. For those not in the practice of operating interior shutoff valves on a regular basis, it might be best to turn the water off at either the meter or the main interior shutoff valve after which residents should open faucet fixtures to drain water from the pipes.
Turn off all gas appliances and unplug all nonessential electronics. If not turned off, a gas water heater has a temperature control which can be turned to the “vacation” setting. Take note of the current temperature setting on the gas water heater prior to adjusting its temperature. For an electric water heater, turn off its breaker. (Note: A 50-gallon water heater will take about an hour to reheat after it has been readjusted upon return.)
Set the thermostat to an appropriate temperature depending on the time of year. For those gone for a few days or more, Entergy Arkansas recommends a winter setting of 55 degrees and a summer setting of 80 degrees or higher.
Other items to consider include planning for the care of any pets or plants left behind, arranging for lawn care, paying bills in advance for those who do not make automatic payments, considering having a plumber winterize the home, and emptying the refrigerator and freezer, keeping the doors propped open.
“And don’t forget to take out the trash and wash any dirty dishes,” Hennelly concludes.
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Caillouet, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail:
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 07/20/2013