Whether you’re welcoming overnight family or throwing festive parties, it will be more important than ever to know that your home’s essential systems will be reliable. Increased heating needs, extra showers, and heavy kitchen use can put significant stress on your home’s infrastructure. Here’s a pre-holiday checklist to get ready for your guests.
How to Get Your HVAC System Holiday-Ready
1. Replace Your Air Filters
Swap out standard air filters before hosting to a higher-MERV rated filter or an indoor air purifier, especially if you have pets or allergies. This will help keep airflow moving, lower energy consumption, and reduce dust and allergens in the air. With more people under one roof, indoor air quality becomes a top priority.
2. Check and Calibrate Your Thermostat
Test your thermostat controls early, and consider installing a smart thermostat so you can schedule adjustments from your smartphone. Extra body heat and cooking appliances will warm up your home faster than usual, and doors opening and closing frequently can mess with your thermostat, so keep an eye on your settings this season.
3. Schedule Professional Heating Maintenance
The safest way to avoid a mid-holiday heating emergency is a fall tune-up. Our team can check for worn components and make sure they’re safe to operate before peak heating season.
Essential Plumbing Checks Before Guests Arrive
Extra guests mean extra strain on your drains, toilets, and hot water supply. A few simple checks prevent embarrassing plumbing mishaps.
1. Test and Flush Your Water Heater
Have your water heater flushed and inspected to make sure it can keep up with back-to-back showers and dishwashing cycles. Sediment buildup inside your tank reduces heating performance and limits hot water supply. Nothing ruins your guests’ morning routine faster than running out of hot water.
2. Prevent Kitchen Drain Clogs
Never pour cooking oil down the drain. Keep garbage disposals running with cold water during use, and clear slow drains before heavy cooking begins. Fats, oils, and fibrous vegetables easily bind together and choke main drain lines, and that’s not a mess you want to clean up while having guests over.
3. Inspect Toilets and Faucets for Leaks
Check every bathroom for running water, slow-draining basins, or loose handles. Small drips and running toilets waste water and can quickly turn into overflows under heavy use. Also, if you want to really impress your visitors and have been waiting to upgrade an outdated sink or shower fixture, Tuckers can assist with that!
Host with Confidence with Help from Tuckers
We can make preparing your home stress-free with heating and plumbing solutions:
- Preventative Maintenance Tune-Ups
- Water Heater Upgrades & Service
- Replacements for kitchen and bathroom fixtures
Take proactive steps now before you have a full house. Call us today!