These vacation tips can help safeguard your home, especially its cooling system, since it’s largely responsible for your summertime comfort and the health of your home and its contents.
Indoors
- Turn up the thermostat to save energy, but don’t turn the system off. Setting your home to 85 degrees F will keep it sufficiently cool to avoid excessive heat gain. Your system will turn on occasionally, indicating someone might be home. This helps deter intruders since the outdoor condenser makes noise. If you have pets or plants sensitive to heat, check with an authority to learn their heat tolerances.
- Check the air filter and change it if it’s dusty. A dirty filter slows the airflow through your system that drives up cooling bills and may cause your system to malfunction while you’re away.
- Consider having the air conditioner tuned up to eliminate any problems while you’re away. When HVAC contractors maintain cooling systems, they go through all the components, cleaning and adjusting them. They spot small problems that could escalate into a more serious issue, check the refrigerant level and the airflow. Leave the contractor’s business card with the person watching your home in the rare event something malfunctions.
- Turn off the power strips for your entertainment equipment and other devices to save energy. Use timers to turn on a few lights indoors at dusk.
Outdoors
- Soak your plants before you leave. If you’ll be gone for days, consider using a soaker hose that you can put on a timer or arrange for someone to come to your home and water them for you. Keeping your yard looking fresh is one of the best vacation tips that helps safeguard your home.
- Ask a friend or neighbor to mow the grass and pick up any door hangers or flyers that accumulate and to check your mail if it’s delivered directly to your home.
The pros at Around the Clock can help you with more vacation tips associated with your cooling system. We’ve provided outstanding HVAC services for homeowners in the greater Los Angeles area since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about vacation tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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