Winterizing Your Home Before Vacation

Five easy steps to follow

There’s nothing quite like escaping a Maine winter for a bit and heading off to somewhere warm and tropical. Some of you may be planning on doing exactly that over the next few months.

While you may be heading off to warmer temperatures, just remember that your home is not. That means that there are certain things you should do to winterize your home before you head out of town. This ensures that you’ll return to a house that feels exactly like how you left it and not one that is drafty and freezing cold.

Preparing Your Home For Your Absense

Below are five easy steps you should follow to winterize your home before you take off:

1. Many people believe that since they won’t be home they should shut off their heating system entirely. However, this is not the case. Instead of turning off your heat completely, set your thermostat to about 55 degrees. This, along with tip #1, helps keep your pipes from freezing. Additionally, open your kitchen cabinets and leave them open while you’re gone so that the pipes in these cabinets get some heat.
2. What’s worse than returning from vacation to frozen pipes? Returning to a home filled with rain, snow, or live animals. To prevent this, shut your fireplace’s flue. This also traps the heat that is flowing through your home and therefore, keeps your house warmer.
3. Everyone loves saving money while on vacation, which is why your household appliances should be unplugged while you’re gone for longer periods of time. Not only does this cut down on costs since “vampire” appliances still use energy even when they’re off and not in use, but in the case of a power outage, unplugged appliances will be protected and not at the risk of catching fire.
4. Add some extra insulation to your home by sealing up all your doors and windows. For extra protection and warmth, install storm windows.
5. Don’t forget to adjust your automatic propane or heating oil delivery! We are happy to revise your delivery plan according to your vacation schedule.

Contact us today for any automatic delivery adjustments you may need to make. Murray-Heutz is also here for your propane and heating oil equipment needs this winter.