Close the water to your washer and ice maker before you leave. An empty house can't notice a leak, and a burst hose or overflowing ice maker can run for days. Then set up the refrigerator and freezer so you can tell whether they lost power while you were gone.
Do this first
On the day you leave:
- Close both washer supply valves behind the washing machine. Hoses are under constant pressure even when the washer is off.
- Turn off the ice maker and close its water valve. GE's leak guidance describes the shutoff as often being a saddle valve on the cold line under the kitchen sink (GE Appliances). Empty the ice bin so stale ice doesn't clump.
- Use up or toss perishables that won't last until you're back: milk, berries, leftovers, deli meat.
- Put an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and the freezer if you don't have them. USDA FSIS recommends keeping them in both at all times (USDA FSIS).
- Leave the refrigerator running. Unplugging and propping the doors open only makes sense if you've emptied it completely.
In the next few hours
Before you lock up:
- Run the dishwasher and leave the door slightly open, or don't run it at all. A closed dishwasher with dirty dishes can smell after a week or two.
- Leave the washer door or lid open so the drum and gasket dry.
- Unplug the microwave, toaster oven and countertop appliances you won't need. Leave the refrigerator, freezer and anything with a clock you rely on.
- Don't run the dryer as you head out the door. Finish laundry with time to clean the lint screen and switch it off.
- Set the thermostat higher, not off. A house at very high indoor temperatures makes the refrigerator and freezer work much harder in a Texas summer.
- Set up outage reporting. Oncor delivers electricity across much of DFW, even though you buy power from a retail electric provider. Its outage line is 888-313-4747, and customers signed up for MyOncor Alerts can text OUT to 66267 (Oncor). Have a neighbor's number handy too.
Before the technician arrives
If something is wrong when you get home, note:
- Model and serial numbers. Fridge labels are usually inside on a side wall or ceiling. Washer labels are around the door opening, under the lid or on the back.
- Thermometer readings in the fridge and freezer the moment you open them.
- Signs of a power loss: blinking clocks, reset displays, refrozen drips in the freezer.
- Water marks on floors or baseboards, and where they start.
What not to do on return:
- Don't open the water valves and walk away. Watch the washer and ice maker fill once.
- Don't trust freezer food by look alone. Food with ice crystals or at 40°F or below can be refrozen; perishables that sat above 40°F for more than 2 hours should go.
- Don't restart an appliance that shows an error code without writing the code down.
How to keep it from happening again
- Make valve-off part of your packing list, along with the ice maker switch.
- Replace aging washer hoses before peak travel season. See what to do when a washing machine hose bursts for the five-year guidance.
- Add leak alarms that send phone alerts, and a temperature alarm in the freezer.
- Ask someone to check the house halfway through a long trip, including a glance at the freezer thermometer.
Planning ahead for summer service? Our North Dallas service area page lists the appliances covered in that part of town.
Sources
- GE Appliances: Refrigerator icemaker leaking or dripping water
- USDA FSIS: Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
- Oncor: General FAQs (outage reporting)
Keep in mind: Closed water valves prevent most travel disasters; the thermometers tell you whether the food survived an outage while you were away.
If an appliance isn't working right when you get home, reach ProFix Dallas at (469) 886-1122.