Winterizing Your Vacation Home

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Winterizing your vacation home is an important part of caring for your vacation residence. Winterizing your vacation home is a little different than your regular home because most people are not in the residence as much as their regular homes. Here are some handy tips for this process.

It is important to winterize the outside of your home as well as the inside. Remove all leaves and debris from the gutters on your vacation home to encourage the water to drain quickly. Check for overhanging trees and trim them away from the roof and the sides of the home in case there are high winds or heavy ice. This will decrease the chances of damage from winter storms. Drain the water hoses completely and disconnect from the water faucets. Additionally, move indoors any unattached yard furnishing and lawn equipment. Completely drain and close swimming pools and home spas and then cover for the winter months.

Inside the home, completely empty and clean the refrigerator and freezer. This even means the ice bins. Unplug the refrigerator. Unplug all appliances and lamps from the outlets to the home. You will not be there to use them and can quickly plug back in when you return to the vacation home. Completely cut off the main water supply to the vacation home. This will prevent any water damage should a pipe leak or burst while no-one is there to find it.

Lower the temperature on your thermostats. It is best to leave some heat running because the home can become musty and develops mold and mildew problems if there is no air circulation. Don’t forget to have mail forwarded. You can even hire someone to check on the vacation home bi-weekly and alert you to any security problems or maintenance issues.