Turning off gas?
Question:My father passed away and I inherited his home. I am going to have it remodeled before I move in and was thinking it would be a good idea to have the gas company shut off the gas until that time (could take 5-6 mos. at $60/mo.). Is this a good idea? I will just be transferring my current gas account to that home when I move anyway and there's no need to heat the place this time of year.
Answers:
It is always a good idea to have the utilities turned off that aren't being used if the house is vacant. Accidents, squatters and vandalism happens!
Good idea to have the gas, and the electricity and water turned off. As you say, you don't need to heat at this time of year, and as no one is there, you don't need lights and water either. Save yourself a few bucks, protect yourself against accidents (we left the water on when we went on vacation and came home to find out the washingmachine hose had split, the basement was feet deep in water and the wallboard had been washed out)
Instead of doing this, turn the circuit breaker off to the furnace and turn the water heater off as well. What this will do is save the time and hassle of having to deal with the gas company from removing the gas and coming back when you need them to to turn the gas back on. If you run into a situation where you need the gas turned off to service an area, sometimes you can turn it off at the gas meter with a small wrench. Most plumbers/HVAC guys and gals can do this for a smaller bill. If no gas flows, there is no bill.
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