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new snowbirds, need advice
I've tried searching but couldn't find the answers I need.
We just bought a home in TV. We're not retired yet. But we plan on doing so next fall. Until then we'll be coming down on and off for a week at a time when we can use vacation time. I've seen where people say to tape over drains to keep bugs out, and to put saran wrap over the toilets to keep the water from evaporating. just wondering if this is good advice? Also, what temp should I keep the house at in the summer? Any other tips or advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance |
I would recommend to keep your thermostat set at 80/81 during the summer. Keep your window blinds closed to block the sun.
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We keep our house at 77 for cooling and 71 for heat. when we're not here we shut off water to the inside of the house. they're good homes designed to have little upkeep. if you're only here part time I suggest you get a home watch for when you're away. they will tell you when/if there's a problem and be your go-between when things need doing(a good home watch will).
other than that enjoy. |
should not be a problem -- 've seen where people say to tape over drains to keep bugs out, and to put saran wrap over the toilets to keep the water from evaporating - I would not do unless you are going to be gone for weeks.
Humidity is the big item. Might go 70 from midnight to 6 am to get humidity out of the air. Then 80 for the rest of the time. I would set the heat at 68. Yes turn of the water to the home. Hot water heater on piolet??? |
Get to know your neighbors that are here full time that can help out in case of trouble.
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Part Time Villager
Same story with us. One retired, one not, so we come & go. We have a gal who has a business & watchs our house. She comes twice a month, $25 each time. Checks hot water heater, make sure AC is working, waters plants, sprays for weeds outside, takes golf cart for a ride, flushes toilets & will clean if necessary, makes sure outside lamp post is lit, make sure fridge is running, changes batteries in smoke detectors, sprays for ants or bugs.
When we let her know we're coming, she will turn hot water up, straighten up. I asked her if she dusted & she said yes! She sent pictures of sand mounds in our back yard. Here it was a pocket gopher. Would of made a mess if she hadn't seen it. Hired someone to trap it. Totally worth it, peace of mind!! Gloria's Home Watch 952-217-9645 |
We did this for 4 years until we became official snowbirds. When you leave for the summer leave your ac on 82-84. For winter 60 is good. Always put a capful of bleach, then saran wrap on toilets then close the lid. Always turn off the water as long as you live south of 466. Turn hot water heater down to lowest but not off. Close all blinds. Leave sides down on golf cart.
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Our thermostat is connected to the WiFi, so conditions can be monitored and adjustments made from our summer location up north. We didn't have to change anything, but we could have. Our HVAC guy recommended we keep the temperature in summer set for 80F. Our thermostat also has a humidistat which will kick the AC on if it gets above the set level. We set the humidistat for 60%, also on the advice of the HVAC guy. We also left all the doors to rooms open, and all of the fans moving on low. We also had a friend check the property every so often.
I also installed an irrigation controller that could be monitored and controlled by my phone, from up north. Irrigation is pretty simple in summer, because it rains so much you don't have to do much watering. However, still a good idea to have some eyes on it in case it starts to get dry. |
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Lots of good advice here, looks like they check all of the boxes .
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We have a honeywell works great
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We close our drains and tape the shower drains. We had bleach and use plastic wrap over toilets. Shut off water and hot water. We leave ac at about 80 and turn heat down to about 55. Make sure the dehumidifier function is on.
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I much prefer the Honeywell because you can set it to a temperature and it doesn't try to out think you. Last fall when I was living here in FL and traveling to NJ for work about once every 6 weeks, I used my boss's NJ house up there to stay(he also lives in FL). It has a nest. It is set on ECO and doesn't keep the house warm unless someone walks past it. I'm gone for 12 hours, come back to a quite cold house. Set a temp..2 hours later, it's cooling off again. It was maddening. I had 3 zones with Honeywell WiFi in my NJ house and one each in the two houses I own in FL. I've installed them for others too. I've even removed a Nest for a friend and installed a Honeywell for the reason I listed above. |
Place a drop or two of bleach in your toilets and the cover with Saran Wrap. Works great. Turn off water at main line in garage. Turn off water heater at breaker. Thermostat at 82 will work fine.
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I have White Pelican Home Watch. They're great and will even put deliveries in the house (no charge). In addition to the things folks were saying above, WP also had me keep my fans on low because I don't have a humidistat and suggested to freeze a cup of water and put a penny in it. This way if the power went out we would know because the penny would be near the bottom of the frozen cup.
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where did that come from? LOL nope that's ridiculous keep your house ho higher than 80, but also a wifi thermostat would help. most FL homes can withstand a house at 80. I prefer 76. I'd shut off the water, however the only issue you will have is drain flys. which aren't all that difficult to get rid of (hot water, bleach & soap) make sure you have your exterior pest control done etc. Also the obvious things - blinds closed, etc. it's really not all that difficult. |
We leave for 4 months every summer and were told by the mold inspector not to let our house temp be over 75, lots of black mold in Florida.
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Make sure your grass is mowed and shrubs cut regularly!
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There is another VERY good post someplace here (from around Jan 2021) about what to do when you leave. It has a link to a checklist, created by one of the universities in Florida.
Here’s the article https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/lakeco/fi...sonal-Home.pdf I tried to find it, but I couldn’t. Someone will find it. |
I installed a temperature/humidity monitor (Govee brand) which will let me know if ac goes off….then the humidity would be a serious issue…repair ac asap.
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Snow bird advice
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I purchased a thermostat that will turn on AC based upon temperature (I set mine to 80) or humidity (60%). The setting even has a name called "Florida setting". I have found that the humidity really never gets that high with the 80F temperature. But I use it anyway. Having a neighbor to look after your house and have a key is very useful. I have a sensor in the house that measures the temp and humidity that I can see on the internet (some thermostats have this now). And they have had to come over when there were a few issues. They can let the service people into your house. Mine turned on the watering for extra time when my yard looked to be drying out too much. I do put rubber stoppers in sinks where I can remove the sink plug, or I put box sealing tape over them. I put some mineral oil in the washing machine drain tube to keep it from drying out. I unplug most things and use the circuit breaker to turn off electricity to the stove and laundry. I keep the refrigerator on, we leave some items in there during the away time. The fear is summer lightening damaging your stuff. The sensor I have knows when the power goes out and will alert me. |
Drains
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We do a lot of these but we fill small ziplock bags with water and set on the drains. Seemed better than taping them |
All your drains will either close or can be plugged except shower drain. A piece of rubber like the thing you would use to get a stubborn jar lid off works great with something slightly heavy sitting on it. A/C on 80 , heat on 60-66. The Saran Wrap on the toilets actually does work but bleach is your friend there. Depending on how long you will be gone you may experience a terrible smell when you return. After a few months the p-traps in all your drains (except your toilets) will dry out and sewer gas will be seeping out . Also the water (especially hot) may be stinky from sitting there that long. Run water in all drains right before closing them for departure. A reliable homewatch person would be a good idea but there are some that are completely worthless. Just going in a home and looking around is all some of them do.
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Mentioned several times above, but a good home watch service will provide a lot of peace of mind for low cost, and will have a good list of everything you and they should do.
We’ve used Relax Home Watch & Lawn Care and are very pleased. |
Reading several of the comments makes me ask, why heat your Villages home at all in the winter when you are gone? The interior of your house is never going to freeze. Winter humidity is low. Frankly, I doubt anyone's house would drop below 50 all winter.
We are gone all summer and air condition to 80. Seems to work. |
Away time
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For piece of mind, I hung up some security cameras. One or two outside to monitor the grass, trees and shrubs. I have one in the garage, laundry room, and kitchen. All have temperature sensors. Let's you track the little things, like forgetting to cancel the newspaper, you can see if the lawn service and pest people have been there. I also put my contact info on the front door.
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I unplug the frig and leave it open - leave all the cabinets & drawers open - not sure why but I turn off the breaker for the stove
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Shut off water , drain faucets and hose bibs, disconnect hoses. Turn off ice maker on frig. Unplug TVs, sound systems, motion furniture. If you don;t have WIFI connections for thermostat or other disconnect Modem. Bring in outdoor furniture. Remove batteries from clocks. Confirm override/auto shutoff is working for sprinkler Spray for bugs in and out. Install new furnace filter. Shut off gas to gas grill. 1/2 cup bleach in toilets, cover bowl with plastic wrap. Cover drains - sinks and showers - with blue painters tape. |
Snowbirds
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If you are only going to be gone for a week or two no need to tape drains and cover toilets. I would recommend putting out several roach baits/poison under sinks, and near exterior doorways. Turn the water off to the house, set temp between 80-83', close all blinds and you are set. If you are gone longer than a month I would do the full tape, saran wrap thing. We have done it and have not ever had a problem. Good luck.
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HPM - Empty Nest service
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Just an FYI- many companies who can ck in home.
We use empty nesters- they come in every 10 days approx, flush all toilets- run each faucet- brush toilets - check temp and provide a detailed report via e-mail day of service. Peace of mind- especially in hot weather. Just a thought |
Thanks everyone for the info! We close on our house March 1st but can't be there until the 17th. We plan on getting to know our neighbors for sure. Part of the reason we choose TV. I also have a good friend in Ocala who's going to check up on it for us as well.
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You’ll be bringing too much stuff… way too much!
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