Forum Discussion

caver's avatar
caver
Nomad
Jul 26, 2020

What do you shut off when leaving for a trip

Many years ago a co-worker left for a couple days and came home to a ruptured water heater and the associated damage it caused. He was surprised when I said if I'm gone for more than about 2 days I shut the water off.
That has evolved in that now if I'm gone camping for over two weeks I shut the refrigerator off, HVAC, unplug garage door opener, water heater and even the HVAC. A long time ago I would just have a friend come buy and check on the place every few days but as the trips moved up to 3 weeks I didn't want to bother them. I'm retired now so the trip can be as long or short as I want.
Curious in what others do.
Seeking Advice
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer II
    Jul 26, 2020
    It depends on how long I'm gone, but the most I do is shut off the well pump and water heater. Shutting down the heat is not at all a good idea for several months here in Vermont, and genearally the rest of the time it doesn't matter in as much as it wouldn't come on anyway. (I will turn the thermostat down, though; no need to keep an empty house at a comfortable room temperature.)

    Fridge stays on because there's food there--in the freezer if not in the fridge proper. The garage door deadbolt lock is much stronger than the garage door opener, so I don't see any reason to unplug that.

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