Ready for a winter getaway to someplace warm? Excellent plan! Just be sure to take care of your home before you go – as we’ve seen so far in 2018, weather can change very quickly here in Suffolk County. Here’s a quick checklist of things to do to prevent unwanted surprises when you return from your winter break:
Change your thermostat – You don’t want to pay to heat an empty house – but you also don’t want frozen pipes. Go for a happy medium by keeping your thermostat at 55 degrees when you’re away from home for an extended period.
Check all windows and doors – Close shutters and install storm windows if you have them.
Unplug your appliances – Power outages happen during severe winter weather here in Long Island, and restoring power after an outage can sometimes cause an appliance-frying surge. Unplug your appliances and you’ll avoid this problem – plus, you’ll save money by avoiding power usage by your home’s “energy vampires” (appliances that use energy simply by being plugged in).
Turn off the water main – Your pipes won’t freeze if there’s no water in them.
