Golden things to remember before going out for a vacation

Turn Off the Main Water Supply

"If you're going to have a leaking supply line, it's going to happen while you're away," says Fred Spaulding, president of Quality Home Improvements, Inc., in Kingwood, Texas. And a major leak could be catastrophic if there's nobody around to deal with it. In the Houston area, where he lives, for example, hot-water tanks are placed in attics to avoid taking up floor space in living areas. "If that water tank leaks, you'd better catch it quick," he says. "I've seen cabinets in kitchens destroyed. It only takes a little bit of a leak."

Closing the valve on the main supply line cuts off water to the house but still allows outside sprinklers to work. If you do spring a leak inside, the line will be under some initial pressure, but it will not continue to spray water. "Instead of thousands, literally thousands, of gallons of water, you might have 50 gallons from the hot-water tank leak," Spaulding says. "There is no downside whatsoever [to turning off the water]. It takes a little bit of time, and it can save thousands of dollars in potential damage."

Check the Sump Pump

Another type of water—rainwater—can also be a nightmare. If your sump pump fails while you're gone and a major storm comes around, you could return to a flooded basement.

So make sure the sump pump is working before you leave town. "Dump a bucket of water in there so you don't get that kind of surprise when you come home," says Tom O'Grady, president of O'Grady Builders in Drexel Hill, Pa. The pump should turn on when the pit fills with water.

Keep Flowers Alive With a Soaker Hose

If you'll be gone for several days and don't have an in-ground sprinkler system (or a neighbor kid who can water your garden), use a soaker hose to keep the flowers or veggies watered. You can to set up your hoses on a timer to turn them on and off at preset times.

Unplug Electronics

If any of your televisions, computers, stereos, and other electronics are plugged directly into the wall rather than into a surge protector, pull the plugs in case a power surge happens while you're away. If you do have them all run through surge protects, O'Grady says, you can simply flip the switch to power them off.

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