What do you do to your house before vacation?
Updated August 2026
The single job that matters most before you leave is shutting off the main water valve, which turns a burst supply line from a flooded house into a non-event. Round it out with a 15-minute pass: set the thermostat to a safe hold (55°F in winter, 85°F in summer), put the water heater on Vacation, unplug electronics, and hold the mail. Nearly every empty-house disaster is water, so if you do nothing else, close that valve and open a faucet to bleed the pressure.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Shut off the main water supply valve | Before you go | 2 min · DIY |
| If not, close the washer and dishwasher valves | Before you go | 3 min · DIY |
| Open a ground-floor faucet to bleed the pressure | Before you go | 1 min · DIY |
| Test the sump pump with a bucket of water | Before you go | 5 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Set the thermostat to 55°F (winter) or 85°F (summer) | Before you go | 2 min · DIY |
| Switch the water heater to Vacation or 120°F | Before you go | 2 min · DIY |
| Unplug TVs, computers, and chargers | Before you go | 5 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Hold the mail and pause package delivery | 3–5 days ahead | 5 min · DIY |
| Put two lamps on timers | Before you go | 10 min · DIY |
| Ask a neighbor to check in | 1 week ahead | 5 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Set Wi-Fi leak sensors by the heater and washer | Before you go | $20–50 each |
| Clear perishables; a fridge holds cold about 4 hours if power drops | Before you go | 10 min · DIY |
| Arrange lawn care or snow removal | 1 week ahead | varies |
What neglect costs
The classic vacation loss is a supply line or a water-heater tank that lets go with no one home, so the water runs for days instead of minutes. A failed washing-machine hose alone can push 500 gallons an hour, and the average home water-damage claim lands around $12,000, with serious floods reaching $70,000 once flooring, drywall, and cabinets are gone. Shutting the main and dropping a $20 to 50 leak sensor by the heater is a few dollars against that. A frozen pipe while the heat is off is the winter version of the same bill.
Leave these to a pro
For longer trips, a property-check or house-sitting service runs about $25 to 75 per visit and gives you a human who can catch a leak, a dead furnace, or a tripped breaker mid-trip. If you travel often, a plumber can add an automatic shutoff valve that senses abnormal flow and closes the main for you, roughly $500 to 1,000 installed. Leaving in freezing weather with the heat off is a full winterizing job best handed to a pro if you have never drained a system.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
Should I shut off the water heater when I go on vacation?
For most trips, set an electric heater to its Vacation mode or turn the thermostat down to 120°F, and switch a gas unit's control to Pilot. On trips longer than about two weeks it is worth turning the heater fully off at the breaker or gas valve to stop it heating water nobody uses. Just remember to turn it back on when you return, and on a gas unit relight the pilot if needed.
What temperature should I set the thermostat to while away?
In winter, never drop below 55°F, which keeps the house warm enough to protect pipes from freezing while still saving energy. In summer, hold it around 80 to 85°F so the AC keeps fighting humidity and mold without running hard. A smart thermostat lets you nudge it back to comfortable a few hours before you land, so you walk into a normal house rather than a stale one.
Do I need to shut off the main water for a short weekend trip?
For a weekend, closing just the washing-machine and dishwasher valves covers the two most likely burst points and takes two minutes. For a week or longer, shut the main and open a ground-floor faucet to bleed the pressure, so even a failed supply line upstairs has nothing to push. The longer the trip, the more the full shutoff is worth the small hassle of re-pressurizing when you get back.
Should I unplug everything before a trip?
Unplug TVs, computers, chargers, and small kitchen appliances to cut phantom power draw and remove any surge or fire risk while you are gone. Leave the essentials running: the refrigerator, the sump pump, security and Wi-Fi, and anything on a timer. If a lightning-prone storm is likely, a whole-home surge protector guards the gear you cannot unplug, like the HVAC and the water heater.