If your summer travel plans will be lasting longer than a week, there are a few plumbing-related tasks you should do before taking off. They don’t take long to complete, and doing so will save you money on utilities and prevent property damage from occurring while you’re away. If you’re interested in saving yourself from future troubles and expenses, put these on your vacation preparation checklist.

3 Important Plumbing Tasks to Complete Before Vacation

1. Shut Off the Water Supply

If a pipe bursts while you’re away, the resulting flooding can cause serious damage, waterlogging home infrastructure and contributing to mold growth. As a precaution, experts recommend turning off your main shut-off valve before long trips. Typically, these valves are located near the water meter, sometimes outside or below ground.

2. Turn Off the Water Heater

No one will be using hot water while you’re away, so you might as well shut off the water heater. Otherwise, this energy-consuming device will just keep cycling, resulting in wasted dollars. The only time you might want to keep your hot water heater on is if you are leaving during the winter and don’t want frozen pipes.

3. Drain Water From Fixtures

Once you’ve shut off the main water supply, drain the remaining water in your pipes by allowing each of your fixtures to run for a short time. Otherwise, the standing water left to accumulate can grow bacteria and cause bad odors, which would be disappointing to come home to after a vacation.

If you need to take care of some last-minute pipe repairs before your trip, let the professionals at Drain Doctor take care of it. From their Levelland, TX, location, they serve both residential and commercial clients throughout a 30-mile radius with a wide array of plumbing services, including water heater installation and drain cleaning. Visit them online or call (806) 894-3796 to learn more about their services.