Plumbing – Leaving warm climate home vacant for a few months

hvacplumbingwinterizing

I'll be leaving a home vacant in the Houston, TX area when the average high is in the mid 90s and humidity is high. I have a few questions regarding "summerizing" my home to prepare:

  1. All heating appliances (furnace, stove, water heater) are gas. Do I need to shut off the gas to the entire house?
  2. Should I drain and shut off the water heater completely or just turn the temperature way down?
  3. What temperature should I leave the air conditioner set to? Or should I change it periodically (I have a 7-day programmable thermostat)?
  4. Should I shut off the water in general? If so, any additional prep for faucets/showers/toilets/fridge?
  5. I plan to leave the fridge on, should I just leave it as is or let it run at a higher temperature?

Best Answer

  1. No need to shut off the gas just turn down all thermostats.
  2. No need to drain tank, set stat to vacation.
  3. Leave this at 80*
  4. Yes, close main supply valve
  5. Reduce this setting a bit. Add several jugs of water to fill space. Will reduce cycling.
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