Vacations and trips require a lot of preparation. Don’t forget to pay attention to your HVAC system when planning your getaway, whether it’s in the winter or summer.
Turn Down the Thermostat, but Not All the Way
It doesn’t make sense to leave the heating or cooling on at your comfort level when you go on a winter trip. It’s a waste of money to heat a home at a high level when nobody’s home to enjoy it. This makes it tempting to simply turn any heating or cooling while you are away. This usually isn’t a good idea, however, unless you know ahead of time that outside temperatures will be relatively mild while you’re gone.
Low temperatures in a home can promote mold spore growth on any moist surface, such as a fish tank or on plants. Not only could this damage your home while you’re gone, but you’ll expose yourself to poor indoor air quality on your return. Don’t set your thermostat lower than 60 degrees when you’re planning a getaway. In the summer, you can set the thermostat several degrees higher than your comfort level, but if you let it get too high inside, furniture, household fixtures, houseplants and dry goods can be damaged.
Take Care of Your Water
While frozen pipes aren’t something we generally worry about in Southwest Arizona, you may have concerns about water leaks while you’re gone. If you have these concerns, turn off your main water valve or pump, then run an upstairs faucet for about 15 seconds in order to release any built-up pressure. If there’s some reason you need to leave the main water valve open, you can mitigate any damage from leaks by disconnecting or turning off any appliances that use water. This mainly includes your dishwasher, laundry machine and toilets.
Arrange Things With Your Neighbor
It’s always a good idea to have a neighbor or home-sitter come by and check on your home while you’re gone. Before you leave, give them a key and leave them the number of your preferred HVAC contractor.
Finally, it’s not a bad idea to have an HVAC professional perform a checkup of your home HVAC systems to make sure there are no pressing concerns as you are planning a getaway.
If you need any help preparing your home for a getaway, feel free to contact our experts at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Co. We provide superior HVAC and electrical services to the Yuma area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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