A home expert shares three hacks that he believes all homeowners should know before going away on vacation.
TikTok user Any Hour Services (@anyhourservices) is an account dedicated to electric, plumbing, heating, and air tips. On Sunday, the account posted a video detailing the “Three hacks every homeowner should know before leaving for vacation.”
“If you’re going to be out of town for more than a couple of days, there’s a couple of things that you need to do to get your home ready for you to leave,” says the man behind Any Hour Services.
No. 1: Turn water heater down to vacation mode
“You wanna turn the water heaters down to vacation mode,” he says, “so they’re not constantly using energy heating the water.” He takes the camera behind the unit in his home to demonstrate how to turn the temperature dial to vacation mode (VAC).
According to the Water Heater Company, vacation mode essentially allows your water heater to run at a cooler temperature than you’d normally tolerate while you’re at home, which allows you to conserve energy and save money. Importantly, the water will still be hot enough to keep pipes from freezing.
No. 2: Set your thermostat to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
The representative for Any Hour Services says 55 degrees should be a “plenty good” temperature to leave your house at during the winter. “You want a little heat so the pipes don’t freeze,” he says.
ElectricityPlans.com suggests setting your thermostat to 50 degrees in this situation unless you live in an area where it’s likely to snow while you’re away. In that case, you might want to set it higher, but the site doesn’t recommend any higher than 60 degrees.
No. 3: Turn off your main shut-off valve
He demonstrates how to turn off the main shut-off valve by flipping a lever. “If there is any kind of issue, or a leak, or something that you can’t foresee, the water is shut off, and you minimize the damage,” he says.
Bardi Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing also recommends taking this precaution before leaving on any extended vacations. The company also recommends draining any water hoses before you take off as well.
“Anyway, have fun on your trip,” he says to conclude the video. “Hope that was helpful.”
@anyhourservices 3 Hacks Every Homeowner Should Know Before Leaving for Vacation⬇️⬇️⬇️ ✅Set water heaters to vacation mode to use less energy heating up water ✅Set thermostat to 55° to make sure the pipes don’t freeze ✅Turn off the main water shut off valve to decrease the risk of expensive water damage while you’re away Follow for more homeowner hacks #anyhourservices#homeowner #utahcheck #plumbing #hvac #electrical #happyholidays #thanksgiving #christmas #lifehacks #lifehack #lifehacking #homeownertips #fyp ♬ original sound – Any Hour Services
Viewers react to the advice
The video has amassed more than 82,000 views as of this writing. In the comments section, viewers appear skeptical about the advice.
“Turning the water off to the house but leaving the water heater on???” wrote one viewer.
A second viewer wrote, “I don’t bother.”
Someone else recommended, “If you’re shutting off the water, turn off your sprinklers.”
However, some viewers appreciated the tips. “This is good advice. Especially shutting off the water. A toilet water line leak will destroy your home,” wrote one viewer.
The Daily Dot reached out to Any Hour Services via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
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