[Aloha1]

We have 2 ceiling fans in our enclosed lanai and leave them on low all year long for air circulation.

[C. C. Rider]

We've left our west facing enclosed lanai completely closed up all summer long (about 5 months) for about 8 years and never a problem. No cracks in the ceiling. No mold. No damage anywhere.

We don't have a television out there, so no worry about that. We do have a ceiling fan, but have never left it on while we're gone.

[tallyhoer]

I close all the sliders in the lanai but leave one slightly open for some ventilation. Worked fine so far for 12 years. No problems with ceiling or mold. It is an East facing lanai.

[joelfmi]

retired. What you have is correct and a lot more.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by C. C. Rider

We've left our west facing enclosed lanai completely closed up all summer long (about 5 months) for about 8 years and never a problem. No cracks in the ceiling. No mold. No damage anywhere.

We don't have a television out there, so no worry about that. We do have a ceiling fan, but have never left it on while we're gone.

You could run the ceiling fan on a schedule if you replaced the ceiling fan wall switch with a modern Lutron ceiling fan wall switch that can easily be paired to scheduled run times with your cellphone. You could then run the ceiling fan without running it 24 hours a day for weeks or months.

[UpNorth]

Originally Posted by davephan

You could run the ceiling fan on a schedule if you replaced the ceiling fan wall switch with a modern Lutron ceiling fan wall switch that can easily be paired to scheduled run times with your cellphone. You could then run the ceiling fan without running it 24 hours a day for weeks or months.

Not sure if "smart switches" will run if you downgrade your wifi internet to vacation (away) mode.

[Markue]

Originally Posted by Garywt

We don’t have anyone checking. Our toilets are covered with plastic and all our drains are taped shut. As for AC we hope for the best and guess if the electric bill went down we could have an issue.

Just a word of caution...
Check the fine print in your insurance policy. Most policies require that the house be checked periodically! Unless you are only gone for a short period of time.
We were told it’s not the heat but the humidity that causes mold, so we added a humidistat to our furnace. Now the furnace will run as needed.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by UpNorth

Not sure if "smart switches" will run if you downgrade your wifi internet to vacation (away) mode.

Why disable your Internet while you’re gone for extended periods? You need the Internet to work if you have a smart irrigation controller, security system, unless it uses cellular, for a camera system, etc. Leaving a house unattended without being able to monitor your unattended house seems like a very bad idea to me. Monitoring your unoccupied home doesn’t mean staring at a video stream continuously for hours a day. Motion detectors cameras send you alerts, your security system could alert you, your remote control thermostat could alert you. All that gives you much more peace of mind about your unoccupied house, instead of being blind about what could be happening at your unoccupied home, and simply hoping for the best!

A lot of damage can occur to your unoccupied home if there’s a water leak. Damage could occur if your AC fails. Damage and loss could occur if someone breaks in. For the home in the snow belt, if the furnace fails without an alert, the water pipe can freeze and break. Your basement could flood with multiple layers, feet of ice. The ice breaks the house foundation and destroys the house as the water turns into a massive ice block.

It’s a compromise how much you should try to monitor remotely. But the technology is available today to be able to monitor your unoccupied home. That gives you much more piece of mind, instead of pretending that those risks don’t exist. The remote monitoring of the unoccupied home does require an Internet connection, in most cases. The Internet costs and costs to monitor the unoccupied homes is very tiny compared to the extra costs you have to own and maintain two properties that could be over a thousand miles apart from each other.

That’s my opinion about unoccupied homes. Some people don’t feel that way. They just lock the door and leave. To me, that’s way to risky living that way.

[UpNorth]

We keep our northern home on the internet. Cameras, smart switches, etc. Down here "vacation" mode internet is only $8 /month. Cheaper just to have a neighbor look over the place. Water shut off, things unplugged. Not much going on. No problem.

[Luna6739@]

Please let me know who did your closing of the Lanai. We want to get estimates. Any words of wisdom also. Just getting educated on lanai enclosures

[UpNorth]

Originally Posted by Luna6739@

Please let me know who did your closing of the Lanai. We want to get estimates. Any words of wisdom also. Just getting educated on lanai enclosures

Windows of Central Florida enclosed our lanai. Built up some walls, added quality windows and doors. Good workmanship and easy to work with. But be aware that it currently takes a lot of time for contractors to get windows and supplies these days. We contracted back in December and just got the job completed mid April. Be prepared to wait.