Things like turning the water off, or unplugging things… At minimum I shut the water valve and unplug pretty much anything I can. I’ll usually set the thermostats to be a little more extreme than usual. Do you do anything?
Flipping breakers would be significantly faster than unplugging stuff.
I turn down the HVAC, confirm all the windows and doors are properly locked, draw all the blinds, and shut down the computers.
Although flipping breakers could be faster, that requires wanting to unplug everything on the circuit, and having a well labeled breaker panel.
And you don’t want to unplug everything because of the fridge / freezer for example.
On one hand, yes, on the other hand, if your breaker panel isn’t properly labeled, that’d be a good idea to do. Much easier to do when things are working than when they aren’t or there’s an emergency and you suddenly need to figure it out.
I clean the house before I leave so that it’s one less thing to stress about when I get back.
I do the things you mentioned but also turn off the wifi.
Cleaning before leaving is a game changer. To add to this, launder your bedsheets and towels and have them ready to go for when you get back. Not only will your home smell fresh, but you’ll feel fresh after washing off the travel grime and have a nap.
“Travel grime” hit me hard, I’m currently traveling and the airports I had to pass through were balmy as hell; airports and aircraft were full of the smelliest people
I have pets, so I usually make sure all my light switches are on so I can control the lights remotely, and put little wifi cameras in a few strategic places so I can watch them and the Rover sitter when they come over for walks. I try to keep the place cool and well lit during the day, and I occasionally turn on TVs and play wildlife videos because my pets will actively watch them.
We don’t shut off water or other vital equipment or services since a friend will be over to check on the cats, the cameras still need network connectivity, and I can monitor other things remotely via Home Assistant. Anything that would unnecessarily use power will already put itself into low-power mode. We do set the thermostat to a wider range, and make sure that everything is shut and locked.
It’s also nice to come back to a clean and pleasant home, so we take out the garbage and clean the place before we go.
Water and heating gaz, that’s pretty it for me
Thanks, Dib
Why do you unplug everything?
Reduce chances of bad electrical things happening. 1 electrical fires, 2 damage due to surges, I unplug some stuff during thunderstorms too.
It also reduces vampire draw
They cannot get in anyway, nobody is there to let them in.
Like moths, you still don’t want to have a bunch of them jammed up against the windows trying to get in.
Take trash out.
Close windows.
Make sure that climate control and fans are off.
Check fridge for anything to toss.
Make sure that any bills are paid.
If you want to have remote access to a computer, nice to test killing the power on it to make sure that it comes back up.
I do have a light timer, the sort that is usually used to make it looks like someone away from home is present and is operating lights, but I use it for a different purpose, to flip a bug zapper on at night, to zap any moths that make it into the house without having to stare at UV light most of the day. I suppose I could use it for its intended role.
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