Planning a vacation is stressful. Picking a place to go, booking hotel rooms, and figuring out an itinerary is usually the fun part of the planning process. Once all of the plans are set, then the real stress starts as you create all the to-do lists to prepare for the big vacation. Usually checklists for what to pack, and pet care instructions for the pet sitter are the big ones people always handle without a second thought.
However, most people forget about making a list of plumbing priorities before leaving for vacation. It’s not a long list, however, it’s often the tasks that never get done and upon returning home, results in unpleasant surprises.
What Should Be on Your Pre-Vacation Plumbing Maintenance List
There’s not much worse than returning from a beautiful, relaxing vacation and being met with plumbing disasters in your home. Let’s explore a short, but important list of plumbing maintenance tips to tackle prior to heading off to your vacation destination.
Shut Off Your Water Supply
Floods happen even if you aren’t home using your water. Faulty pipes burst and cause more damage than you could possibly imagine. Plenty of bathroom and kitchen fixtures leak, which you may not notice when you’re home every day.
If you can’t turn the main water supply off to your home because you have to run a pool pump that needs to continue to work while you’re gone – not to worry. You can turn off the water supply at each toilet, sink, etc. in order to minimize flooding.
Check Appliances
Walk around your home and inspect all of your appliances for any leaks, puddles, dampness, and corrosion. If you see any issues, the best thing to do is call a professional plumber. A plumber can handle any plumbing issues while you continue preparing for your vacation!
Clean Your Drains
Returning home from vacation shouldn’t cause your eyes to tear up from the stench emitting from your sinks, toilets, and garbage disposals. If you’ve been pouring a cup of baking soda along with a cup of vinegar down the drain to avoid build up, you should do a treatment right before leaving for vacation.
If you have a garbage disposal, use a little warm, soapy water and a long brush to give it a gentle, but good scrub. Mix a little water and vinegar and pour it down the disposal. Follow that up with a little clean, cold water to rinse the vinegar away. It’ll keep your disposal smelling fresh! NEVER USE LEMON IN YOUR DISPOSAL.
Keep the Pre-Vacation Plumbing Priorities Simple
Traveling can provide an amazing way to decompress, but if you come home to a plumbing emergency, reality will destroy your good buzz. Enjoy a disaster-free homecoming and extend that euphoric post-vacay feeling just a little bit longer.