December is in full swing and winter vacations are at the top of some people’s priority list. We don’t blame you! But making sure your home and HVAC system are prepared for your vacation should also be at the top of your priority list. In last week’s blog, Royal Heating & Air started a list of tips to help keep your HVAC system and home safe while you’re away. This week, the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks is finishing up that list. Check out the rest of the list below!
Trim Any Plants and Make Sure the Area Around Outdoor Heat Pump Is Clear
If you have plants or leaves encroaching on your unit, this can not only limit the airflow, but it can cause clogs or other problems. It’s important that you clear away any debris and trim back plants and bushes from the unit. You should always maintain a 3-foot clearance around the unit to ensure proper airflow.
Install a Humidification System
A humidification system will automatically detect humidity problems and add or remove moisture to get your home back into the ideal humidity range.
Make Sure Your Home is Protected from Bad Weather
Will your home be able to protect itself from freezing temperatures while you’re away on vacation? It’s important to prevent frozen pipes, especially while you’re gone. If water does freeze inside a pipe, it will expand and block that pipe. This will increase the water pressure throughout the rest of the home, and eventually, that pipe will burst. You can account for this by running a faucet with a drop during those cold nights. Moving water does not freeze as easily.
Clean Your Home
When you’re preparing for vacation, cleaning your home may be the last thing on your priority list. Trust us, we get it! But cleaning your home before you leave has a positive impact. No one wants to come home from vacation to a dirty home. You’ll be exhausted from traveling and the last thing you’ll want to do when you finally get home is clean. Cleaning your home before you leave not only reduces your stress, it is also good for your indoor air quality. Your home will be sitting dormant while you’re gone, and that means that dust and other debris can accumulate.
Airborne contaminants develop without proper ventilation, which leads to irritation of respiratory conditions and excessive sneezing. You can reduce the amount of dust pollutants in your home by vacuuming the carpets, doing the dishes, dusting, and replacing your air filter.
You should also unplug kitchen appliances, turn your thermostat down between 50 and 60 degrees, throw any food that may expire out, and have someone occasionally check on your home. It’s also important to hold your mail. One of the surest signs that someone is on vacation is a stack of mail or newspapers. Your local post office can put your mail on hold so you don’t have an overflowing mailbox when you return.
Unplug Devices and Turn Off Power Strips
If you haven’t heard about standby energy loss, then it may be a surprise to you that anything plugged into your outlets still draws power even when it’s not “on” or it’s not in use. Don’t just turn things like your toaster and TVs off. You should unplug all of your electronics and appliances when leaving home for an extended period of time. If you don’t have a whole-home surge protector, anything plugged into your outlets is at risk of damage from an electrical surge. It’s better to be on the safe side and unplug before leaving for vacation.
Royal Heating & Air hopes these tips help you prepare for your holiday vacation! If you haven’t scheduled your furnace maintenance, don’t get left out in the cold. Give the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks a call. Whether you need maintenance or a replacement, we can help!
Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"
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