prepare your plumbing

Prepare Your Plumbing for Your Summer Vacation

Winter is the season everyone worries about their plumbing with freezing temperatures threatening their pipes. However, if you’re not careful in the summertime, you might have problems then too. If you plan on going on vacation, you should prepare your plumbing so you don’t come home to an expensive disaster. Here are our tips for preventing issues from occurring while you’re away.

Prepare Your Plumbing

When you leave your home for a longer period of time, there are some actions you can take to mitigate the risk of a plumbing emergency happening when you’re gone. 

Shut off the water supply – Turning off the water at the main valve is a simple thing you can do to make sure that water will not flood your house as a result of a leaky pipe or a busted valve. You may not think this is much of a risk because you’ve never experienced a sudden leak, but plumbers, disaster remediation companies, and insurance adjusters can tell you about the damage that can result from even a small leak that is left unattended. Imagine that a toilet valve on your second floor breaks and that water leaks through the floor and the first-floor ceiling, down the heating return vent or even down the stairs…for days or weeks.

Shutting off the water supply will take seconds and will eliminate the risk of that happening while you are gone. If you do not know where the main water shut off valve to your home is, take the time to find out well before you’re hurrying out the door. 

Inspect your water heater – Ideally you should have a plumber inspect your water heater annually in order to detect leaks or discover any warning signs of failure. Flushing sediment from the tank will improve your water heater’s efficiency and longevity. Turning your water heater off while you are on vacation will conserve energy while you are away.

Check your sump pump – If your basement were to have a water incident, your sump pump would turn on and begin pumping the water out and away from your home, preventing a flood. If it’s not operating properly, though, a storm could cause problems. Test your sump pump by filling a 5-gallon bucket with water and pouring it into the sump pit. If it’s working properly, this will activate it, and it will eliminate the water within a few minutes. 

Clear your garbage disposal and your drains – If you’ve left food or grease in your sink drain, your house may have a distinct odor by the time you return from vacation. Run hot water with your garbage disposal on for a minute or so to clear everything out. Make sure you flush your toilets too! 

Do You Need Plumbing Help? 

If you find that any of the above are not working correctly or at full capacity, call us at Weinkauf Plumbing & Heating. We can help clear out your water heater, fix your sump pump, replace your garbage disposal, and repair any faulty valves or pipes. We recommend regular inspections and plumbing maintenance to anyone who wants their plumbing system to work seamlessly and eliminate issues before they become a problem. Call us either before or after your vacation to schedule plumbing maintenance – and enjoy a relaxing time off. You’ve earned it!