Tips for home while gone awhile

Wasn’t really sure where to place this question. We will be gone a total of 5 weeks for our next Princess Cruise November -December. We live in Wisconsin and of course the worry is with sub zero winter weather.

Can I get tips from those who have been away from home for weeks as far as what to do with the house. I plan on keeping the heat on hold at 60. Our neighbor will check now and then on it. Is it wise to turn off the main water and lower water heater to lowest setting?

Any tips sure help...

-Definitely turn off the water - never have turned down the water heater but could be a good idea;

-Always good to have someone come in and check that everything is OK, water plants, etc.

-Have same person run your car for a few minutes every week - if you don't, the battery will be dead once you get home (speak from experience... :rolleyes:)

We turn off the water at the main, if we're gone for a long time, with no one coming to the house...My daughter usually comes in to water my plants, so in that case, I turn off the water at the washer, and the ice maker...and that's it.

You can leave the heat low...even in the upper 50's will keep things from freezing. I don't lower the water heater temp...it's not being used, so doesn't really make much difference.

I stop my mail and paper....I have the post office hold my mail. I pay ALL bills that will come due BEFORE we leave.

A few minutes isn't enough to charge your car battery....best not to start it repeatedly. If you have a decent battery, it will start after a month or two!

Can you get someone to shovel the snow off the roof, driveway, and path to your front door? Make it look like someone's still there?

Better yet, have a trusted someone house sit?

While only gone 5 weeks, you may want to read some of the threads in the World Cruise Board. Lots of excellent suggestions on many threads about being away for extended periods.

We will be gone a total of 5 weeks for our next Princess Cruise November -December.

Better yet, have a trusted someone house sit?

I absolutely agree - house sitter, for the win. Five weeks is far too long to leave your home unattended, in my opinion.

Wasn’t really sure where to place this question. We will be gone a total of 5 weeks for our next Princess Cruise November -December. We live in Wisconsin and of course the worry is with sub zero winter weather.

 

Can I get tips from those who have been away from home for weeks as far as what to do with the house. I plan on keeping the heat on hold at 60. Our neighbor will check now and then on it. Is it wise to turn off the main water and lower water heater to lowest setting?

 

Any tips sure help...

I would ask my mailperson to deliver mail to trusted neighbor or have same neighbor pick up mail instead of holding mail at post office. Being a New Yorker, I don’t feel anyone can be trusted these days including Federal employees. If someone knows you won’t be home for 5 weeks it gives them ample opportunity to pass along info. I also have neighbors park in my driveway or in front of my home so it looks like someone is there. And definitely DON’T post your travel info anywhere on the web including FB, Inst???am and whatever else is out there. Have a safe and worry free time!

Turn off the water mains to your outside faucets. Then go outside and open the valves. This will allow any remaining water in the pipes to expand through the opening instead of bursting the pipes when it freezes.

Thanks for the responses. Greatly appreciated.

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Buy an automatic trickle charger for your car battery.

Thanks for the responses. Greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

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You’re welcome. That’s why we’re all here, to help each other.

Check your home insurance policy. Some policies state how often someone must come into your home to check on things when you are gone.

Finding someone to house sit is best. If that cannot be arranged, consider lighting that simulates the house is occupied (ie- lights come on at 5:30.....lights go off at 10:30.....we have several timers so the lights in different parts of the home turn on and off at different times).

Turn off the water.

Ask or hire someone to clear snow, collect mail/flyers, and perhaps park in the driveway.

Leave your contact information (if on a cruise, email is good) with more than one trusted person, if for no other reason than to be reassured that everything is fine at home!

Happy cruising!

We turn off the water at the main, if we're gone for a long time, with no one coming to the house...My daughter usually comes in to water my plants, so in that case, I turn off the water at the washer, and the ice maker...and that's it.

You can leave the heat low...even in the upper 50's will keep things from freezing. I don't lower the water heater temp...it's not being used, so doesn't really make much difference.

 

I stop my mail and paper....I have the post office hold my mail. I pay ALL bills that will come due BEFORE we leave.

 

A few minutes isn't enough to charge your car battery....best not to start it repeatedly. If you have a decent battery, it will start after a month or two!

We pay all bills in advance .We have family members staying in the house once a week and neighbors checking the exterior of the house every day .They also will take in any packages that may be delivered . Neighbors have emergency phone numbers as well.

If there is snow and you do not have regular plowing, it is good if you can have a neighbor run his car up and down the driveway so unmarked snow doesn’t advertise your absence.

Good to turn off water - also drain the pipes so they won’t freeze if heat fails. Also, add alcohol anti-freeze to toilets and tanks - just in case.

A few lights on timers so the house isn't completely dark the whole time.

Do not post your plans on facebook or other sites that would allow the wrong people to take advantage of your absence.

I would add that you should invest in a security system. We have had home break-ins in the past year in our quiet neighborhood. All have been seniors who were on vacation in the winter. None had a security system.

I was the one to discover the break-in in our neighbor's home and the police told me that a security system that has a siren will at least cause the burglar to just hit and run quickly- usually.

We have a security system and three cameras. I think opioid addiction has fueled a lot of the recent activity.

We have Smart Home systems for home security, HVAC, and lighting. We can see what’s happening on the cameras and monitor and change the temperature and lighting controls. It’s super convenient and helps provide peace of mind.

One thing with your water, if you have a hot water based heating system, it may not be a good idea to shut off your water.

I turn the water heater to Vacation mode, which sets it to 60. Water heater loses a lot of heat over time, so setting the temp lower saves energy and money.

I turn the heat down to 50.

I have a Wink hub to control a number of lights, and I let it do its thing even when I am home. A neighbor mentioned he cannot tell if I am home or not because of my lights.

I hold my mail at the post office, but there is a limit to how long they will hold the mail. I have it delivered on the day I get home.

I do online bill paying anyway, so I just setup payments ahead of time, but if needed, I can make payments when traveling. 5 weeks may cover two payments with some bills.

Do NOT start and run your car for short periods. It will not charge the battery and increases condensation in the engine and exhaust. Most cars should be fine for 5 weeks without anything. But if you car runs down faster, or you are concerned, get a Battery Tender or Battery Minder. Those are brand names. They are microprocessor controlled and will not damage your batter like trickle chargers will. I have had one on a collector car for over 10 years and battery is fine.

Definitely have someone remove snow from driveway and walks. Also, in fall, have leaves done.

We leave for as long as 2-3 months twice a year. One of he criteria in the selection of our current home was lock and leave. Snow removal and gardening is done by the HOA. No plants, no pets.

We turn off the water, turn down the water heater, lower the temperature. Our neighbour checks at least once a week and she takes our mail. We reduce our automobile insurance to fire and theft only. We take the battery out of our summer car since it sits for nine month. We don't bother having anyone start the other car. So far, never an issue.

We put a few drops of oil to float on top of the toilet bowl water to so the tank does not dry out and cause damage. We have hybrid cars so we unhook the hybrid battery and leave the back trunk open to allow access to hook up the battery when we return. We only do this when gone over 4 weeks.

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One thing with your water, if you have a hot water based heating system, it may not be a good idea to shut off your water.

 

I turn the water heater to Vacation mode, which sets it to 60. Water heater loses a lot of heat over time, so setting the temp lower saves energy and money.

 

I turn the heat down to 50.

 

I have a Wink hub to control a number of lights, and I let it do its thing even when I am home. A neighbor mentioned he cannot tell if I am home or not because of my lights.

 

I hold my mail at the post office, but there is a limit to how long they will hold the mail. I have it delivered on the day I get home.

 

I do online bill paying anyway, so I just setup payments ahead of time, but if needed, I can make payments when traveling. 5 weeks may cover two payments with some bills.

 

Do NOT start and run your car for short periods. It will not charge the battery and increases condensation in the engine and exhaust. Most cars should be fine for 5 weeks without anything. But if you car runs down faster, or you are concerned, get a Battery Tender or Battery Minder. Those are brand names. They are microprocessor controlled and will not damage your batter like trickle chargers will. I have had one on a collector car for over 10 years and battery is fine.

 

Definitely have someone remove snow from driveway and walks. Also, in fall, have leaves done.

Just to be clear: my earlier suggestion of "automatic" trickle charger assumes microprocessor control. We've used the same West Marine 30A portable charger since 1990.

We feel very lucky that our town has a vacation watch program where auxiliary PD will do checks on the place while we are away. It is really a pretty comprehensive service and we feel lucky that our town provides it. I doubt anything like this would be in larger towns & cities, but you might want check.

Anyway, that along with great neighbors, the security system, and living in a town with about the lowest crime rate in California makes us feel better.

Place a coin on top of an ice cube, or paper cup with frozen water, in your freezer. When you return home and the coin has fallen to the bottom of the cube/ice, it means your freezer has been at a temperature making all of your frozen food dangerous to eat.

Enjoy your cruise planning.

Place a coin on top of an ice cube, or paper cup with frozen water, in your freezer. When you return home and the coin has fallen to the bottom of the cube/ice, it means your freezer has been at a temperature making all of your frozen food dangerous to eat.

 

Enjoy your cruise planning.

I do not think this is proof positive that the food is spoiled but it would sure make me leary enough not to take a chance.

 

Do NOT start and run your car for short periods. It will not charge the battery and increases condensation in the engine and exhaust. Most cars should be fine for 5 weeks without anything. But if you car runs down faster, or you are concerned, get a Battery Tender or Battery Minder. Those are brand names. They are microprocessor controlled and will not damage your batter like trickle chargers will. I have had one on a collector car for over 10 years and battery is fine.

 

Definitely have someone remove snow from driveway and walks. Also, in fall, have leaves done.

I'm more concerned with our 10% ethanol gaso sitting in the the tank/fuel system than I am about the battery. I use fuel additive if my vehicle is going to be sitting for a while.