Stop slips, trips and falls. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Ask them to “keep an eye on your home and report any unusual activity or damage it suffers” (give them your contact phone number and contact email address for the winter). To prepare interior pipes for winter, start by turning off the water supply if you don't need it to be turned on while you're gone and empty the faucets.
If you have a summer vacation home that you don't occupy in winter, be sure to take a fall weekend to visit the house and prepare it for winter. To prepare an empty house for winter, make sure the water is turned off at the main supply point so that it doesn't freeze or break the pipes. If you live in the northeastern part of the country or in the upper Midwest, you know that your home may be subject to the brutal Northeast or severe winter weather. Preparing your home for winter as you head to your vacation home for the season ensures that there are no headaches to return to in spring.
Make sure your security system is working properly and don't forget to set it up before leaving for winter. People who have the time and financial capacity to take long vacations should also prepare their homes for winter. Then, when the winter season is over, you can prepare for the heat by learning how to overwinter your home. This will keep water flowing, preventing interior leaks and most ice dams, which generously occurred in the northeast just two winters ago.
Assuming you don't live in a neighborhood where known thieves reside, notify your trusted neighbors that you won't be home for extended periods in winter. The patio can be the most laborious part of the home's winter preparation process, so save most of your time for that. Prepare your pool for winter, if you have one, by partially draining it and covering it with a cover to prevent pests and debris from entering. Whether you're leaving for a few weeks or a year, the following tips will help you plan and execute a winter preparation down to the last bolt and nut.
If you divide your time between two residences, preparing your empty house for winter ensures that you have a fully functional space when you return in spring.
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