How long can you leave home and leave it empty?

[jim747]

IP cameras? Please explain

There are a number of IP cameras on the market. A friend has two Foscam wireless cameras in his house that he monitors from his laptop while snowbirding. His cams have great video and sound. I just found this youtube video.

 

[calmloki]

I don't get it - can you set up a motion alarm to ring your cell phone? Are you supposed to monitor the cameras all night (maybe rotating shifts with the SO?). So you pay to keep the internet service on while you are away 6 months?

I can imagine a random chance of seeing a burglar break in and start rifling through your unnerwear drawer while you frantically call 911 for your home... Maybe the law will get on scene in time and bust them. For me, the odds just don't seem that good.

 

[pb4uski]

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.

Does he move out when you get back?

 

[check6]

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

I also add a 'C' clamp just above one of the rollers on the guide rail. Also add smaller 'C' clamps to sliding glass door rails.

 

[JoeWras]

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.

This is fascinating, and may explain something. When I lived in South Florida, I had a neighbor who asked me to look after her house when she went up to New York.

She insisted I fill and watch her 5 gallon buckets of water around the house.

I tried to protest, explaining that is the opposite of what you want in S. Florida (very humid, mold is everywhere), but she insisted. So, I dutifully kept the buckets of [-]mold [/-]water full.

I learned later that she had some cognitive issues which explained the strange behavior, and she may have spent some time out in the Southwest which explains a lot.

 

[KingB]

I don't get it - can you set up a motion alarm to ring your cell phone? Are you supposed to monitor the cameras all night (maybe rotating shifts with the SO?). So you pay to keep the internet service on while you are away 6 months?

I can imagine a random chance of seeing a burglar break in and start rifling through your unnerwear drawer while you frantically call 911 for your home... Maybe the law will get on scene in time and bust them. For me, the odds just don't seem that good.

You can setup the IP cameras such that it will send you an e-mail when motion is detected in the zones that you want to be monitored.

 

[KingB]

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

Instead of dedicating a camera to read the indoor temperatures, I purchased an IP based thermometer that allows you to access the temperature readings. You can access 1 month's worth of reading (adjustable periods) on the web. I have 4 of these that I use to monitor the outdoor, spa, downstairs, and upstairs temp.

 

[calmloki]

You can setup the IP cameras such that it will send you an e-mail when motion is detected in the zones that you want to be monitored.

That's much better than snail mail. In the country that could prevent days or weeks of bears and racoons and blowing snow drifts from piling up inside a smashed door; in the inner city it might keep the appliances and copper pipes from vanishing.

(gong) "You've got mail!" (open) "You got robbed!"

 

[Ronstar]

Instead of dedicating a camera to read the indoor temperatures, I purchased an IP based thermometer that allows you to access the temperature readings. You can access 1 month's worth of reading (adjustable periods) on the web. I have 4 of these that I use to monitor the outdoor, spa, downstairs, and upstairs temp.

I also add a 'C' clamp just above one of the rollers on the guide rail. Also add smaller 'C' clamps to sliding glass door rails.

2 great ideas that I need to put to use.

 

[meierlde]

I also add a 'C' clamp just above one of the rollers on the guide rail. Also add smaller 'C' clamps to sliding glass door rails.

As an alternative, one can drill small holes in the frames of the doors when closed, and then put pins in. Actually this is easy enough to remove when needed, that you can actually pin the door when at home as well. The pin extends from the fixed door frame into the sliding section about 2-3 inches, making the door fairly jimmy proof. The pins are available at your favorite hardware store.

 

[aja8888]

For the record, city waste-water treatment plants are designed with the capability to digest (biodegrade) plant oils and hydrocarbons such as motor oil, etc.

 

[samclem]

For the record, city waste-water treatment plants are designed with the capability to digest (biodegrade) plant oils and hydrocarbons such as motor oil, etc.

There's a significant cost to process the oils/lipids, get rid of the solids, etc, right? Many communities have well-funded public awareness programs to discourage people from putting oils, fats, and lard down the drain. And people who put hydrocarbons into the sewer should be prosecuted.

I wouldn't balk at putting a teaspoon of oil into a trap to keep the water from evaporating. But I do wonder why people dump a pound of meat trimmings down the drain, running the garbage disposal for 2 minutes to wash it down. The trash can is right there, it takes less time just to throw it in, and you're not putting a burden on the city water treatment system and wasting 5 gallons of water (praying it gets to the street and doesn't clog up your sewer pipe.) Are people that worried about how their trash might smell?

 

[aja8888]

There's a significant cost to process the oils/lipids, get rid of the solids, etc, right? Many communities have well-funded public awareness programs to discourage people from putting oils, fats, and lard down the drain. And people who put hydrocarbons into the sewer should be prosecuted.

I wouldn't balk at putting a teaspoon of oil into a trap to keep the water from evaporating. But I do wonder why people dump a pound of meat trimmings down the drain, running the garbage disposal for 2 minutes to wash it down. The trash can is right there, it takes less time just to throw it in, and you're not putting a burden on the city water treatment system and wasting 5 gallons of water (praying it gets to the street and doesn't clog up your sewer pipe.) Are people that worried about how their trash might smell?

Agree, the systems are loaded with stuff other than fecal matter. Blame the citizens who pay the sewage fees. But the "bugs" they use in treatment plants really like hydrocarbon chains!

There are LOTS of combined sewer systems in the U.S. cities (storm water and sewage) and the storm water loading always contains road oil from cars, etc. New systems are usually separate. Municipal treatment plant solids are frequently used as clean fill these days.

You should see what happens in Los Angeles when a big rain overflows the treatment plants .....raw sewage into the beach areas.

Be glad we have city sewers. Spend some time in Jakarta, Indonesia, a town of 6 million that still has sewage canals running through the town.

 

[Al in Ohio]

For the record, city waste-water treatment plants are designed with the capability to digest (biodegrade) plant oils and hydrocarbons such as motor oil, etc.

No they're really not, That's my biz. I design those plants and oils have to be taken out. The bugs that digest the sewage under aerobic conditions and break it down get harmed by grease and oil. If some idiot pours a quart of oil down the toilet it can screw up the entire plant.

Don't confuse a sewage plant with the bacteria that were recently developed to break down oil spills in the ocean. Totally different bugs and situation.

And combined sewers are in the minority. Only in bigger older cities that haven't completely separated storm systems from just sanitary. EPA hates them and has been funding their elimination for many years. Most cities have non combined sewers. Pretty soon they will be very rare.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Agree, the systems are loaded with stuff other than fecal matter. Blame the citizens who pay the sewage fees. But the "bugs" they use in treatment plants really like hydrocarbon chains!

There are LOTS of combined sewer systems in the U.S. cities (storm water and sewage) and the storm water loading always contains road oil from cars, etc. New systems are usually separate. Municipal treatment plant solids are frequently used as clean fill these days.

No no no. Sludge waste cannot and never has been used as "clean fill" in the US ! That would get prison time for someone. With a special permit you can have it slice injected into farm soil or composted with under high temp and mixed with soil and other matter for landscaping use. Solid waste sludge to clean fill.... Absolutely not.

 

[scrinch]

Be glad we have city sewers. Spend some time in Jakarta, Indonesia, a town of 6 million that still has sewage canals running through the town.

I'm looking out my window at some now! Central Jakarta=10 million; Greater Jakarta=28 million

 

[Meadbh]

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 it all adds up. Have you heard about the fatberger in the London sewer? (Warning: this is somewhat gross)

Fatberg: Watch the moment engineers discover Britain's biggest ever fat ball stuck to top of London sewer - Mirror Online

 

[walkinwood]

I found that a checklist is a good idea. I "check" each item off before we leave & carry the list with me (online). That prevents me from worrying if I did do something or not.

We have left for 6 weeks at a time with no issues. Having someone reliable & trustworty come over every so often gives us peace of mind. If you're asking them to do a number of things, leave them a checklist too.

 

[Ronstar]

I found that a checklist is a good idea. I "check" each item off before we leave & carry the list with me (online). That prevents me from worrying if I did do something or not.

We have left for 6 weeks at a time with no issues. Having someone reliable & trustworty come over every so often gives us peace of mind. If you're asking them to do a number of things, leave them a checklist too.

Good idea on the checklist. I need something to remind myself, But I do have a set of instructions with photos for DW when she spends time at the condo with her friends but without me.

 

[HFWR]

Neighbor: "We'll be gone for a week."

Me: "How big's your TV?"

 

[ERD50]

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 it all adds up. ...

Yes, but I think that pb4uski's point is - it isn't adding to it. A cup of oil over the vacation time could be less than the amount of oil an active family would send down the drains if they were home instead. It replaces all the pots/pans/dish grease that ends up in the system.

-ERD50

 

[harley]

No they're really not, That's my biz. I design those plants and oils have to be taken out. The bugs that digest the sewage under aerobic conditions and break it down get harmed by grease and oil. If some idiot pours a quart of oil down the toilet it can screw up the entire plant.

Alright, so no vegetable oil in the traps. No problem. How about Imoldernu's suggestion about anti-freeze? Better or worse? I've put together a list of things to do this year for our first snowbird winter, but the solution to the toilets and traps hasn't been made clear. What's the best way to deal with this?

 

[jerome len]

We get someone to check the toilets and run the water taps for a few minutes when we leave for an extended period. And, I would ask a neighbor to pick up any advertising left on your doorstep or in the front of the house.

Your insurance may not pay any damages if you left the house and didn't make provisions to insure its safety. And, a few years ago I lived an a neighborhood where thiefs watched houses and if the day's ad brochures hadn't been picked up they woud ring the doorbell and if no one answered they would take the time to go through all the rooms stealing anything of value. The nicer the neighborhood, the easier it can happen. Good luck, I'd get a house sitter if needed.

 

[HFWR]

And, a few years ago I lived an a neighborhood where thiefs watched houses and if the day's ad brochures hadn't been picked up they woud ring the doorbell and if no one answered they would take the time to go through all the rooms stealing anything of value. The nicer the neighborhood, the easier it can happen. Good luck, I'd get a house sitter if needed.

My garage is rear entry, and I often grab the mail on the way by in the car, so sometimes flyers (or, egads, new yellow pages) will lay on the front porch for a while. Some thief thinking I'm not home would get a nice .40cal surprise...

 

[calmloki]

Alright, so no vegetable oil in the traps. No problem. How about Imoldernu's suggestion about anti-freeze? Better or worse? I've put together a list of things to do this year for our first snowbird winter, but the solution to the toilets and traps hasn't been made clear. What's the best way to deal with this?

RV antifreeze, the pink stuff you can get in Wallymart, is 40% Propylene Glycol and has minimal health hazards per the MSDS. OK to send it down the drain.