How long can you leave home and leave it empty?

[45th Birthday]

We leave our main house for nine or ten weeks once a year, and a week or two here and there other times. We leave our summer house for 42 weeks a year, give or take.

The other posts have listed many important items to do when leaving.

However, the most important thing is that once you leave, do not think about it again until 1) you hear from someone there is a problem, or 2) you come back, whichever is later.

Any thought or worrying about it in the meantime is a waste, and will not change a thing. When you have mastered this, you will be a happier traveler.

 

[zedd]

Here's my routine

Shut off water
Set timer lighting
Set AC high or heat low
Shut off water heater or set to vacation
Unplug garage door opener
Hold mail
Make sure ip cameras can be seen remotely ( this will tell you if/when the house is demolished) - good to have one camera positioned to read indoor thermometer

IP cameras? Please explain

 

[Ronstar]

IP cameras? Please explain

I have Internet protocol cameras (indoor) that I can access remotely via smartphone/computer to be able to view what's going on when I'm gone. The cameras have their own wifi to connect to a house's network and the camera mfg provides an interface for remote viewing. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense - I'm not too knowledgable on how they work. I'm going to beef up my systems in the near future with more cameras, etc

 

[Mulligan]

When I was shuttling between VA and TX I left my TX house with little of value in it. The only problem is, I couldn't be sure any burglars knew this, and I doubted they'd be polite enough to shut the door behind them or replace any broken glass. Get even just a squirrel in there and you won't be calling it "no harm".

I had squirrel get in my house through the fireplace while I was at work a few years ago. I was amazed at the damage that rodent did in a short amount of time. Tore up 2 window frames and was working on a third before I got home. He obviously decided it was a mistake visiting my house and wanted out bad.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Thanks for the tip. Our toilets go dry in our az condo in about 4 weeks. I just let them go dry - there is no smell. Next time I'll try the vegetable oil.

That is a clever idea and would work, but its bad for the sewage treatment plant that has trouble removing grease and oils.

For the record you could be gone for several months and your toilet would still hold a trap seal before that much water evaporated unless you have the new toilets with a very low water level. Older type toilets would go longest as they hold more in the bowl.

 

[samclem]

For the record you could be gone for several months and your toilet would still hold a trap seal before that much water evaporated. Older type toilets would go longest as they hold more in the bowl.

You could put Saran wrap across the bowl and it would never dry out. Just remember to remove before use . . .

 

[scrinch]

We've never been gone for more than a couple of weeks (when we lived in the US), and we've only had minor problems when returning:

-one time the thermostat had gone haywire and the heater was keeping the house in the low 90's
-another time all the (wired together) smoke detectors in the house were blaring away..took me a loud hour or so to figure it was just a dead battery in one of them
-a pinhole leak had developed in a hot water pipe between the bathrooms....washed away a bit of sheetrock, but luckily it was low in the wall
-when we moved overseas the first time we left the house empty for a couple of weeks before the renters were to move in. Evidently a sprinkler in the back yard leaked for quite a while, because when the renter (a heavy gentleman) arrived, he walked out in the back yard and sank up to his knee in the mud. He lost his shoe in the muck and backed out of the rental deal, saying that his rottweilers would drown back there. It is 20 years later and as far as I know his shoe is still down there somewhere.

I like the wifi thermostat and camera ideas! Not so sure about the oil can idea.

 

[harley]

I have Internet protocol cameras (indoor) that I can access remotely via smartphone/computer to be able to view what's going on when I'm gone. The cameras have their own wifi to connect to a house's network and the camera mfg provides an interface for remote viewing. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense - I'm not too knowledgable on how they work. I'm going to beef up my systems in the near future with more cameras, etc

We're starting snowbirding this winter. I've been thinking about this myself. But I was hoping to "turn down" my cable/internet access, which is when the cable [-]mafia[/-] company turns off the access, but keeps the equipment and account in place for a "mere" $10/month. If I do that I won't be able to access the cameras.

In the house in FL we have a security system with monitoring, and it uses a Z-Wave system for the thermostat that is monitored over a cell phone network. I like it, and as soon as the contract runs out I'm going to see if I can find another company to monitor it for a lower cost. Even now it's a lot cheaper than keeping the internet on when I'm not home. Maybe I can set up something like that for the northern house too.

 

[pb4uski]

That is a clever idea and would work, but its bad for the sewage treatment plant that has trouble removing grease and oils.....

True, but it seems hard to believe that a few cups of vegetable oil would be worse than what would normally be put into the system in a few months (salad dressings, bacon grease, chicken fat/grease, etc.).

 

[scrinch]

True, but it seems hard to believe that a few cups of vegetable oil would be worse than what would normally be put into the system in a few months (salad dressings, bacon grease, chicken fat/grease, etc.).

And you know, you only need to use enough oil to put a very thin continuous layer on the surface of the water. I'm sure that's a lot less than a cup, especially in the new toilets where the water level is very low.

 

[Al in Ohio]

True, but it seems hard to believe that a few cups of vegetable oil would be worse than what would normally be put into the system in a few months (salad dressings, bacon grease, chicken fat/grease, etc.).

Yes but if it catches on and even say 1/100 households do it all adds up. 1 oz of oil can spread out over 10 sf when given a large surface to spread.

 

[Moscyn]

Technically I can leave it locked up for a long time as in more than a year but practically I would not want to - its quite close to my dream retirement home.

 

[RockyMtn]

Been shutting down Colorado and AZ homes for a while and I do much of what has been listed above along with a few others.

1. Besides Veg oil/plastic wrap in toilets to slow evaporation I put some oil in washing machine, sinks with disposals and dishwasher so that the seals don't dry out.
2. I open all interior doors to promote circulation. In AZ I also place five gallon buckets of water around the house to add some humidity to the house. I have heard stories of cabinets literally warping over the summer because of lack of humidity.
3. If possible turn ALL water off to the house. Make sure that it doesn't affect pool levelers, outside irrigation, etc.
4. Thermostats at 90 degrees in summer and 60 degrees in winter.
5. Car left for long periods is put on a battery trickle charger.
6. Clean out fridge of anything that would rot.
7. Unplug any appliance/electronic that you don't want to fry in a lightning storm.
8. Lawn furniture put away. Hoses disconnected.

 

[human743]

For the record you could be gone for several months and your toilet would still hold a trap seal before that much water evaporated unless you have the new toilets with a very low water level. Older type toilets would go longest as they hold more in the bowl.

For the record 3 months in Phoenix would evaporate a foot of water out of your toilet and unseal it. Phoenix is not Ohio. Very hot. Very dry. I worked out there for 3 months one year. Sweat immediately evaporated even while doing heavy manual labor. Any standing water loses at least 1/8" per day.

 

[pb4uski]

And you know, you only need to use enough oil to put a very thin continuous layer on the surface of the water. I'm sure that's a lot less than a cup, especially in the new toilets where the water level is very low.

Yes but if it catches on and even say 1/100 households do it all adds up. 1 oz of oil can spread out over 10 sf when given a large surface to spread.

I agree that not much oil would need to be used (and probably much less than I stated in my previous post).

My main point was that the small amount of oil would be much less harmful than what is likely entering the system from normal use so I don't see that small amount of oil as being a concern.

 

[pb4uski]

One thing we do with cars, boats, tractors, golf cart is simply disconnect the negative cable.

My Mom's car is usually stored for about 6 months and I have never had to charge the battery - just reconnect and it starts up every time. I usually let it idle for ~5 minutes while I do other things and then it is all set for the summer. I could trickle charge it rather than let it idle but that is too much w*rk.

 

[calmloki]

Been doing about 6 on and 6 off between Oregon and La Quinta Ca since 2010. Have to leave the water on in Ca for the plants but do shut off the valves to the washer. We leave the cooling off down there and have seen temperatures of 106 inside (friend sent a photo of the thermostat thermometer). I'm sure plastic off gasses and degrades and we see a film on the window interiors, candles get sad... don't think there is enough damage to offset the cost of running AC. We have friends coming by off and on who flush toilets.

In Oregon my latest wrinkle is to drain the water, plunge toilets, and add RV antifreeze and bleach before saran wrapping the toilet bowl. The bleach last winter helped cut down the massive mold colonies growing the year before - didn't eliminate them, but helped.

We also use the LED fake tv up north, shut off internet to the vacant place, and shut off our water in Oregon. We leave the gas on, but I shut off the valve at the meter in Oregon - I want hot water ASAP up here, but don't want to have concerns about our various pilot lights, including the ones on our old old stove that blow out...

Had someone smash in the french door down south - dumb but rather tidy thieves who took some stuff about equal to the dollar amount of the damage. We must care about odd stuff, because they didn't take anything that really bothered us. Neighbors reported it to the cops, who called us and we got the place repaired before we got back. Eh. just stuff, nothing personal.

 

[imoldernu]

23 years of 6 & 6
Lesson learned... Turn water off at street. A $15,000 lesson, most covered by insurance. In particular, polybutelene pipes and fittings which were in use until the mid 1990's and are still being used today in some places. Also, nylon toilet riser connection nut made subject to chemical corrosion. Even with water being turned off at the street, copper gate valves often leak, allowing pressure to build up in interior pipes, as happened in our case. Turn off water at each plumbing unit.

Out to-do list begins about two weeks before the move, and covers 5 or 6 pages.
Here's a simpler list I found from 2008...most of which was already covered:
..................................
Stop Newspapers
Send Notification to Post Office... Call Post Office in both locations to verify
Change billing Address for
Water and Electricity
Bank
Insurance
Credit Cards
Gas
Cancel Paper
Checks for maintenance/dues/meberships etc.
What bills may be due?
get cash for trip
Doctor contacts? appointments... latest medical records, blood tests,Xrays
Cancel Comcast
Order Comcast
Check w/ city for water shut off at street
Advise gated community we are leaving....................................................
clean refrigerator
saran wrap plumbing fixtures
check glove compartment papers, first aid,tel #s insur+registration
remote themometer to neighbor
thermometers into windows
key to neighbor
turn off water inside house
give cell phone number to neccessary neighbors
clean refrigerator give away food
get telephone number print out
bring financial records (review papers)
seniorcare check status, papers
pour anti freeze intraps
lock all doors
unplug all but necessary electrical cords
leave blinds open? North yes, south no.
check "stuff" in desk drawer- cards papers etc.
What bills may be due?
Neighbor to verify mail is stopped? Trust but verify
Clean Furnace
checks money from ATM
wash car
Check out car fluids air in tires .. get gas
Send EMail notes to all
Take in grille and lawn furniture
Set out trash for the last time.
check mailbox
Bug Spray
lock all doors, disconnect garage opener
wrap all drygoods to be carried over, cupboards
personal papers review what nees to be taken
last trash bag to neighbor
wrap grille.. pull out grille parts and oil.
Pack some water and food for trip
shut off water heater

 

[CoolChange]

23 years of 6 & 6
...
Out to-do list begins about two weeks before the move, and covers 5 or 6 pages.
Here's a simpler list I found from 2008....

If you have the complete current list in an uploadable format (something like a Word or Excel file), I am sure a few of us would find this beneficial since you have created this based on so much actual experience.

For me personally, I am considering doing something very similar to you with regard to splitting time between Midwest and FL (although I still have not ruled out replacing FL with Mexico or something farther south).

 

[sengsational]

An obvious one, but one I do in a particular way is "lock all doors". I've always put double keyed locks (key on both side) deadbolts on all exterior doors. When I leave, I take the keys out of the inside deadbolt and hide them. That way, the crooks will need to haul the stuff they want to steal through a window, which just might look less 'normal' to the neighbors than walking out of a door with some suitcases or garbage bags.

 

[calmloki]

AH! Just a thing I'm smarting from: since we are in California during tax time we had all our bank and interest and credit card statement's mailing addresses changed to the southlands during the times we were down there. As a result, this year California sent me a nice note regarding 2010 suggesting I must be a California resident and they wanted their tax money. I've forcefully denied that - we are Oregonians and do our business here etc.

Still, lesson learned. We now have our Oregon address as the primary and get all statements online. Tax data will be retrieved online as well. We pay the state of Oregon plenty - have no desire to get in the middle of a custody battle between the states over our taxes.

 

[foxfirev5]

Wow, I never thought about it but our 35 year old son who pays us R&B and takes care of all of this stuff while we're gone. A source of much prior contention it is actually working out for all of us. A resident caretaker who likes the arrangement. I guess I've come to terms with that. Life's good.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

For the last few decades we have always paid neighborhood teenagers to come over twice a day to bring in the mail, turn lights on and off, close drapes, etc.

Even when we are home I have a bunch of on at dusk lights inside and out so it always looks like someone is home, even if we go out and get home after dark. There are motion detectors lights inside and out, too. The stairs and hallways have motion detector lights so the dog can walk around the house on his own and not be in the dark.

We also have numerous solar lights outside so they come on at dark and go off at random times depending on the cloud cover.

We are just starting to think now about how we could travel for a month or more at a time in picking our next house. Eventually we will probably live in a condo we can lock and leave and maybe a townhouse as an intermediate place.

This is a good thread. Lots of good ideas here.

 

[Ronstar]

For the record 3 months in Phoenix would evaporate a foot of water out of your toilet and unseal it. Phoenix is not Ohio. Very hot. Very dry. I worked out there for 3 months one year. Sweat immediately evaporated even while doing heavy manual labor. Any standing water loses at least 1/8" per day.

Very true human,

I can wash my car and there's no need to dry it. It's dry before I leave the car wash

 

[sengsational]

And you know, you only need to use enough oil to put a very thin continuous layer on the surface of the water. I'm sure that's a lot less than a cup, especially in the new toilets where the water level is very low.

If you put in even a tablespoon of oil, and say with a 10 inch diameter water surface, it was "too thin" and you got evaporation, then if it kept evaporating, it would get down to a 3 inch diameter and that tablespoon of oil would be about 1/8 inch thick yes, I did the math ). That is plenty thick to prevent evaporation from the inside. But getting up on the roof and getting (at least) a tablespoon down the vent pipe into the trap...that might be more of an issue. Maybe someone here should invent a toilet oil injector...a tube that you shove through the u-bend to stick a tablespoon on the other side.