It’s every homeowner’s nightmare:  arriving home from a long-awaited vacation to find that your house has suffered water damage in major proportions! 

Could this have been avoided? 

Follow these few tips to avoid water damage in your home while you are away relaxing…

• Turn off your water main shut off valve to your plumbing system.
• If the water heater is in good condition, turn the thermostat to vacation on a gas water heater. On an electric water heater turn the breaker off at your main electrical breaker box, to avoid wasting energy.
• Walk around the outside of the home; make sure nothing is leaking before you leave the house.
• If you have an indoor hot tub, it may be wise to drain the water out to prevent any leaks or electrical malfunctions.
• Designate someone you trust to check that nothing has broken or continues to run while you’re gone.
  • Leave the following information with this person:
  • The phone # of where you are staying or your cell phone #.
  • Give them 3 business cards. Yours, Your Insurance Agent’s and SERVPRO of Hunt Valley’s (just in case).
  • The phone # of a person who you would allow to make decisions for you in your absence.
  • It is wise to also leave this information in your home somewhere so that the person will see it when they are in the home.

Better to be safe than sorry…

Do you know whether water damage from appliances or some other source around your house is covered by your homeowners insurance.  Why not check with your insurance agent before leaving home – just to be sure.  Your agent can help you discover what protections you have and might even have some further tips to keep your home safe.