Closing Your Home for Holiday Travel

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One of the most stressful parts about traveling for the holidays is thinking about your home just sitting there unattended. Your mind may go to burglars, fire, or if you left on something that could raise your electricity bill. Below are some pointers to ensure your home will be safe and sound while you are away. 

Pointer #1 – Keep an Eye on it
Today, there are many different home video monitoring systems available online. You can even go to your local hardware store and find them. This will allow you to use a computer with internet access or a smartphone to log in and check out what is going on while you and your family are away. 

Pointer #2 – Stop Delivered Subscriptions and Mail Delivery
There is nothing like a big red flag announcing to thieves that you are away like newspapers piling up out front. Also, if your mailbox is overflowing or if your have deliveries at your door that are not picked up, you are telling everyone you are not home. Be sure to call and arrange for any subscriptions and your mail to be put on hold until you return. 

Pointer #3 – Unplug Everything
This may sound unnecessary, but the more you leave plugged in, the more electricity will be used and the more of a chance of a fire. Power surges can cause sparks that can very easily lead to a fire. If you are not home to call 911 or are not home to put the fire out yourself...well you could lose your beautiful home. 

Pointer #4 – Turn off the Air Conditioner
Traveling during the holidays usually means the Brazos Valley temperatures are not the usual hotter than hot. This is great, because you can turn off the a/c and not come home to a sweltering home. However, if the weather is going to be below freezing while you are away, you will actually want to leave it on, but set the thermostat to between 50 and 60 degrees. This will ensure you do not come home to frozen pipes. 

If you are going to be away for a week or more, you should let a trusted friend or neighbor know, so they can keep an eye on your home for you.  Another option would be to hire a house sitter.  Following these tips will help you feel more at ease while you are on your holiday adventure. 

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Winterizing your New Home

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When you purchased your new home in the Brazos Valley this spring or summer, no one probably mentioned you will need to winterize it before the colder temps hit. If your house is not properly prepared, it could lead to costly headaches like burst pipes, fallen gutters and more. With a little work, you can avoid any winter weather issues.

Winterizing Task #1 – Clean and Protect your Gutters
Be sure you clean out all your gutters thoroughly. Clogged gutters will hold water and when it freezes, it can become too heavy and make the gutters rip away from the house. Also, any icicles caused by water spilling over from the gutters and freezing may look pretty, but can be very dangerous if they break off and hit someone. Once they are cleaned out, install gutter protectors to keep the leaves and debris out.

Winterizing Task #2 – New Filters
Replacing you air conditioner system's filter will ensure your home will stay properly heated during the colder days and night. Properly heated homes can usually avoid nasty issues like broken pipes and extremely high electricity bills.

Winterizing Task #3 – Insulate the Windows and Get Draft Guards
This can be done with a few rolls of window film and a few guards. This too will help the home retain heat.

Winterizing Task #4 – Reverse Ceiling Fans
Most ceiling fans have a switch on them so in the winter months they can turn in the opposite direction. Why is this needed? This will help to push the heat sitting on the ceiling to be pushed downward. This is a great way to evenly heat your home and is a budget saver as well.

Winterizing Task #5 – Insulate Pipes
Before freezing temperatures hit, you will want to be sure your pipes are protected from freezing. The easiest way to do this is to buy some pipe insulation from a hardware store.  Simply cut it to fit your outside exposed pipes and faucets.

These simple tasks can save you several hundreds of dollars and several unneeded headaches by having to deal with broken pipes, injuries from fallen icicles, or replacing your home's gutters. Winters in Brazos Valley are not as harsh as they are in other parts of the country, but they can be just bitterly cold enough to cause their share of property damage for those unprepared for them.

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