What to shut off for extended leaves?
 

When leaving the Villages for extended periods (>6 months), what services to your home is it cost effective to shut down while you're gone? I think cable tv can be shut off and still keep WiFi, but anything else?

Also, I saw a thread offering many good tips about home shut-down procedures for Snowbirds here a few months ago, but can't seem to find it again -- any help? Sorry- still learning how to use these Forums.

We shut off all breakers except for fridge and A/C turn on humidistat set to 60% and set A/C to 80° shut of domestic water,

Water to home. Leave sprinklers on.
Pipes and hoses can break even when you are not using.

Don't wait until the last minute to try to shut off the water valve. The plastic valve handle can stick or even break off. Make sure you can turn it off when you need to.

We are also seasonal residents and I've made a check list on an Excel spread sheet so I can use it every year when leave. Also, it is a good reminder of what I need to re-do when we get back. Here are just a few items on my list. If you would like a copy of my actual list, PM me.

1. Put golf bags and bag chairs into bedroom closet because garage gets too hot and will destroy fabric type materials.
2. Unplug Power to TV & DVD (leave Cable Box & Modem ON if put cable on Vacation).
3. Put Printer ink in Zip Lock Bag and place bag in refrigerator.
4. Run water in tub to fill drain trap, Shut Tub & Sink drain stoppers to minimize evaporation and bugs from getting into house.
5. Put porch/lanai furniture into the garage in case of storm or hurricane.
6. Remove battery from all remotes: Comcast, TV, & sound bar (we had battery go bad and corroded the TV remote).
7. Unplug Coffee Maker, Toaster, & Microwave.
8. Turn off refrigerator Ice Maker and put baking soda boxes in refrig & freezer.
9. Take down anything outside that might get ruined or blown away in a bad storm/hurricane.
10. Check and clean/replace furnace air filter, and add 1 cup vinegar to the A/C drain line.
11. Clean out sprinkler rings and set watering settings for summer.
12. Turn Off Water Heater and Main House water supply.
13. Stop Daily Sun Newspaper Delivery (352) 751-7964 .
14. Set A/C to 79 or 80 (want it to run to minimize humidity) Not worried too much about furnace heat.
15. Begin forwarding Florida Mail USPS.com and stop forwarding mail to Florida (allow 10 days pipeline).
16. Change Billing Mailing Addresses for accounts that you set up with the Florida address.
17. Set up someone as a home watch representative to regularly inspect your home (may be a neighbor).
18. Advise your lawn service company with a local contact number of that Home Watch representative.

Do you need to keep your WiFi available? Comcast has a "Florida" plan whereby you can shut it off once every 12 months and pay a fee of $8 per month. I don't think that there is a reconnection fee (as technically you haven't been disconnected) but you may want to check. Also, there may be a maximum of six months.

Since you'll probably have something electric running while you're away, probably best not to have that shut down.

Anything covered by your monthly VCDD bill - amenities, water, sewerage, garbage - I think you have to pay a monthly fee regardless - not heard that you can "disconnect" these.

Hi there! Turning off breakers for certain appliances is a good practice. However, your home's valuable appliances and electronics are still susceptible to surge damage from nearby lightning strikes or power line issues or damage. It is highly recommended to get a whole home surge protector at your home's electrical panel AND/OR a surge protection on your home's meter through your power company. You can have both!
Read more about surge protection here: https://pikeselectric.com/protection-from-power-surges/
We suggest also having a trusted neighbor, friend, or home watch company to come in and check on things periodically. We offer emergency After Hours electrical service and service calls to your home while you are away if needed! - Casandra, with Pike's Electric (352)748-6251

Mention you saw this comment/post and get 10% off on our whole home surge protection and/or portable generator interlocks and outlets. We want to help all of our friends in The Villages be prepared for hurricane season :smiley:

A broken sprinkler head can costs hundreds a month. Found out hard way. Monitor water usage and check sprinklers condition.

WOW! As a life long snow bird (I learned a lot of these tips from my parents when I was a kid), I have never seen a list as extensive as this. You take some remarkable steps and ones that I shall implement in my own close down of my winter home. Thank you for your thoroughness and willingness to share!

When we were seasonal and gone for nine months, we turned off the fridge too. Emptied completely and propped the door open.

Use a service also.
 

This has a few good pointers in it. I thinks it’s worth having one of the services handy. I’ve used Empty Nest for over 2 years now as I go back and forth from Philly.
http://youtu.be/uQkQF2yaJoA

Plenty of good advice here. If you do nothing else, shut off the water. The lawn sprinklers are on a separate system, so it won't be affected.

Something else I did when I was still between places, based on some research, was to put a thin layer of mineral oil in the toilets and traps. It sits on top of the water, and reduces evaporation, so the traps don't start to get dry and allow sewer gas to come into the home. Don't use petroleum based oils for obvious reasons, and vegetable oils can go rancid.

Once back, just run water down the traps and flush the toilets, clean the toilet bowl, and you are back in business.

A lot of great tips here. I wonder if someone can tell me how to bookmark this thread for future reference?

This is a webpage. You can use your browser options to bookmark any webpage. You can also use the TOTV search function to find threads.