It is that time of year again folks. We have almost made it through those winter months and both young and old have their eyes set on that precious time we call, spring break. For many valley natives, spring break means a fun family trip to California or Mexico. Nothing feel's better than sand in your toes and sun on your back.
Now that we have you daydreaming about sitting on a beach, devouring a street taco, there are a few things you need to prepare and make sure your home is ready for that spring break vacation with the kids?
First, what is a thermostat? What is a SMART thermostat?
Each home has one and it is the device that tells your HVAC unit when to turn on or turn off. Without these wonderful devices, especially with the changes in climate of the Phoenix valley, it would be impossible to have that perfect temperature in your home.
A Wi-Fi smart thermostat connects to your home's wireless Internet service and lets you remotely check and change the temperature in your home from an app on your smartphone or tablet. A smart thermostat does the thinking you don't want to do. It can learn your schedule, turn itself down when nobody is home, ensure your home is nice and cool when you get home from work or in this case, your vacation.
What happens when you head off to Disney Land for a week? Or you’re on the beach and notice that the temperature is hotter then what you set your thermostat to cool. The unit might be broken, so being able to turn it off with your phone to prevent it from causing more damage would be a huge plus right? In this scenario if the unit is broken air would stop circulating, and if mix in a random day or two of humidity, and a Phoenix heat wave this could all lead to damaged and warped flooring and trim, all your plants dying or even damaged furniture.
Having a smart home thermostat can make it extremely easy to set your thermostat and monitor it while being away from home. Many smart thermostats are connected via a homes wireless network (WIFI) and are controlled with a smartphone and give you complete control. So, when you are on the beach enjoying those rays of sunshine, you can rest assured that your home back in Arizona is being properly managed. Not to mention when you are on your way home and sunburnt and realize your thermostat is set for 85 degrees…ouch! Wouldn’t it be nice with a couple swipes on your phone to lower that temperature to a nice cool 72 for when you walk through the front door?
What if your home doesn't have a smart thermostat? There are still ways to make sure your home stays in tip-top shape when you are away for extended amounts of time.
First, before you take off for the beach, make sure your blinds and curtains are all closed so that your home can reduce the need to be cooled. Next, the EPA suggests that while your away on your trip to keep the home at 85 degrees. This will be the best temperature to maintain and preserve your home and its contents. Having your thermostat set at 85 will also prevent wasted energy in cooling your home while no one is home to enjoy the cooler temperatures.
What to do with the water heater?
One of the worst feelings in the world is to come home from a blissful vacation only to see your home flooded and destroyed. Thinking ahead of time can save you a lot of headaches and cash. To avoid this, turn off the main water line to your home while your away for several days. Most water heaters will allow you to change the setting to "vacation setting" or just whatever the lowest temperature may be. Just remember when you first get back from vacation, turn the water back on, make sure to open a hot water tap before bringing power to the water heater. Forgetting to do this can cause damage to your water heater.
We want you to enjoy your much-needed vacation. A couple of precautionary measures can ease your mind while you sit back and relax.
If you are interested in finding out more about a modern Smart Thermostat, we invite you to call us today and we will send one of our expertly trained technicians to explain the benefits.
Contact Forrest Anderson today at 623.780.4060 or contact us via our website at https://www.forrestanderson.net/contact-us