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Old 06-12-2019, 02:57 PM   #21
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... and then top up the bowl with RV tank antifreeze and some bleach...
What would the bleach be for? To prevent staining by the antifreeze?
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Old 06-12-2019, 03:04 PM   #22
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For those of you who keep the heat on, do you have emergency generators to handle extended power outages? We have gas heat, but without power to run the fan, the heat will not circulate.
We don't have a generator. If the power goes out for more than a day we have a neighbor who can check in and check the temperatures... if it gets too cold then we can have them build a rip-roaring fire in the woodstove to keep the building from freezing.

All of our domestic water lines are PEX. In theory, if we opened all the faucets, etc. even if they froze they would not bust... but I'm not at all anxious to test that theory. Luckily, our electricity provider is pretty responsive and reliable... over the last 9 years the worst outage we have had was for a couple days or so.
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Old 06-12-2019, 03:22 PM   #23
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What would the bleach be for? To prevent staining by the antifreeze?
Yup - we fought pink porcelain one time - not fun. Also find that sloshing the beach/antifreeze mix up under the rim cuts way down on nasty bacterial growth and easier cleaning when we come back after 6 months.
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Old 06-12-2019, 04:00 PM   #24
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Interesting, I've never had a stain from RV antifreeze. Quick swipe with a toilet brush and I'm a good to go.
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Old 06-13-2019, 04:58 PM   #25
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haven't read thru the thread, so this may be redundant
I set thermostat to 50, turn off water and turn the lowest faucet in house (basement set-tub?) on. set water heater to lowest setting; some have away/vacation settings. have 2 timers for lamps, one in front room (4:30-midnight), one in back (6-9). also have a fake tv; led light that simulates tv on FakeTV | The Burglar Deterrent . have a radio on timer (10am-3) turned loud enough to barely hear from standing outside that room. unplug/turn off fridge and prop open doors w/towel draped from freezer, to keep from smelling up. next door neighbor (close city houses) uses driveway to park one of his many vehicles. friend also stops by (monthly?) to check everything. HTH
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Old 06-13-2019, 05:07 PM   #26
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To those of you who escape the cold weather for the winter... We are planning to leave our northern home unoccupied for the first time this winter. Up until now our son has been our winter live-in caretaker, but that will no longer work for us. I am curious what other northerners (we are in upstate NY) do about the heat, specifically. Can one safely leave a house without heat (we use natural gas) for 3 months, assuming the water pipes have been drained? If you are willing to share, I'd be interested in your shutdown check lists. Thank you.
Set the thermostat at like 50, and forget about it. Your energy consumption will be greatly reduced, without the risk of broken pipes, cracked plaster etc.
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Old 06-13-2019, 05:09 PM   #27
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we also hire a snow removal crew to give the house a lived-in look. the neighbor also uses the driveway as needed. and we put a vacation watch in with the local police who come by now and then to walk the property and rattle the doorknobs.
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Old 06-13-2019, 08:00 PM   #28
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I leave the heat on at 55 degrees for 3 months. Shut off the water and drain the pipes a little. I keep a thermometer close to an indoor IP camera so that I can see the indoor temp remotely.

+1, I do something similar for our house in Michigan. There is no way I would shut the heat off completely to the house for the winter here..........too many bad things can happen, considering how cold it can get here. We do shut the water off, and we do monitor the house temp. on my laptop or phone, using a home temp. monitor I bought from LaCrosse Technologies. I also have a neighbor that checks on the house periodically, and does some snow removal. If the furnace does go out and the house temp. starts dropping, I get an alert and the neighbor can call someone to check the furnace and repair if necessary.
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