Which devices should you unplug or turn off when you go on vacation?

Why should you unplug or turn off devices when you go on vacation?

You might wonder why you should bother unplugging or turning off your devices before going on vacation, especially if you haven't done it before. However, there are three good reasons to consider doing it while you're away from home.

First, it saves money. Even though technology has improved energy efficiency, many appliances in your home still use more electricity than you might think when they’re on standby. So why pay to keep the power on while you’re away on vacation? By simply unplugging, you not only save money, but you also reduce the amount of energy you waste.

Second, keep your devices safe. When you’re away from home, you can’t react quickly to incidents like power outages or sudden power surges. These surges can damage your electronics or pose even greater risks. The simplest and most effective way to protect them is to unplug them before you leave.

Finally, minimize the risk of the unexpected. While rare, it is possible for an electrical issue in your home to short out, catch fire, or have a leaking pipe while you are away. These situations are better dealt with when you are home, rather than letting things fester while you are enjoying your vacation.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some devices that you should unplug or turn off before you leave. These tips are easy to implement and can help you significantly reduce your risk.

Devices You Should Unplug or Turn Off While on Vacation

Most appliances in your home can be safely unplugged before you leave for vacation without causing any problems. If you want to be absolutely safe and avoid the risk of power surges or other unexpected events, unplugging everything is a perfectly reasonable option.

However, there are some devices that we need to consider not to unplug or turn off such as refrigerators, security cameras, etc. First, let's focus on the important devices that you should definitely unplug or turn off before leaving home.

TVs, game consoles and cable boxes

You might be surprised to learn how much energy your home entertainment center uses even when it’s just in standby mode. However, when you’re on vacation, the more important goal is not just to save on energy costs, but also to protect your expensive electronics from damage. No one wants to return from a vacation and find that they have to replace their TV or the devices connected to it.

So before you leave, unplug your TV, game console, media player, streaming device, and cable or satellite box. While we generally don't recommend unplugging your cable or satellite box because it takes a while to reboot, if it's only a few times a year, it's definitely worth the wait to keep your devices safe while you're away.

Computers and related accessories

Returning from vacation to find your TV damaged by a power surge is bad enough, but returning to find your computer and all the precious data inside ruined is even more heartbreaking.

To avoid this risk, unplug your computer, monitor, printer, and other related devices before you leave. While not unplugging may not pose an immediate danger, unplugging is the simplest and most effective way to protect important devices from any power outages or surges while you are away.

Smart home devices are not important

Smart home systems typically include a combination of essential devices, like security cameras or smart smoke detectors, and less important devices, like smart speakers or smart lighting.

For non-critical devices, especially those that are plugged directly into a regular outlet without a surge protector, you should unplug them before leaving. This not only protects them from the risk of unexpected power surges, but also helps reduce energy waste while you are away.

Battery charger

In recent years, devices using lithium-ion batteries have become extremely popular, from handheld vacuum cleaners, power tools, to garden care equipment with high-capacity batteries.

As a general rule, lithium-ion batteries should only be left on the charger when they need to be charged. However, it is even more important not to leave the battery on the charger when you are away from home for extended periods of time.

Although modern batteries and chargers are equipped with advanced protection mechanisms, the risk of lithium-ion battery failure remains, and when it occurs, the consequences can be dire.

Water supply for your home

In your home, there is always a main point where water enters and branches off to supply appliances like sinks, showers, and water heaters. When you plan to be away from home for more than a day, turning off the main water supply valve is a simple but important step.

By doing this, any leaks, such as from a cracked gasket, a broken water heater, or any other problem, will be limited to the small amount of water left in the pipes or equipment.

If your water heater cracks while you're away, turning off the water supply can be the difference between coming home and having to clean up a small puddle or facing serious water damage throughout your home.

Most of the devices in our homes don’t really matter, especially when we’re not around to use them. It doesn’t make sense to have your TV or cable box running while you’re away, nor does it make sense for your computer to automatically download updates when you’re not home.

In general, if your goal is to minimize your risk of power surges, flooding, or other unexpected damage, then only keep truly critical devices plugged in or powered on. These are devices related to your health, the “safety” of your home, or the ability to monitor your home while you’re away.

Some of these devices are easy to spot — no one thinks to unplug a full refrigerator or turn off the fish tank pump before going on vacation. But others aren’t so obvious and require careful thought when unplugging or turning off, such as Wi-Fi routers and modems.

Leaving your modem and Wi-Fi router on all the time doesn't use much power, so it's a good idea to keep them running all the time, even when you're not home. More importantly, turning off your network connection will cut off your connection to any smart home devices you own. This means you won't get alerts from your smart thermostat if something goes wrong, like an unusually high or low temperature in your home.

Another big benefit of keeping your modem and network up and running is that it allows you to check on the electrical status of your home remotely. For example, if the electric company reports a power outage in your area due to a storm, seeing that your network is still up and running can provide peace of mind or help you decide more quickly whether you need to head home early to fix it.