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LazMan
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join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

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Re: What to leave on - empty house

said by Monkey344 :

the water in your p.traps for sinks and tubs will eventually evaporate. Therefore you may want to get some of those rubber plugs. Else the sewer gases might come up and leave you with unpleasant odors.

Good call - also, pouring a little mineral oil (not vegetable or animal-based oils, they'll go rancid) down the drains will help prevent the trap drying out... Doesn't have to be much, less then 1/4 cup per drain should be lots.
id09542
join:2002-04-25
Bloomington, IL

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If you do unplug the refrigerator/freezer, be sure to leave the doors open.

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
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united state

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Would there be an issue with something that has a pilot light,
If the pilot light were to go out?

Just thinking about the furnace and the chance that the pilot may go out.
As gas lines have been know to break when it gets cold outside and the ground shifts. Meaning gas service was cut off to your area, then restored.

rfhar
The World Sport, Played In Every Country
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join:2001-03-26
Buicktown,Mi

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I have a timer in the living room that I set to be on when I am home when I use the lamp. In the last house I used the time rand never bothered the switch.

pende_tim
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join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

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You did not say what type of heat you had but did indicate that it was at a different temp than the AC os I am assuming it may be a different system.

Is it baseboard hot water? If so you need to keep the water on for that as it may need a little water for makup. There my be a little loss through any air eliminator valves and the like. This does not happen a lot, and a perfect system will never need added water but nothing is perfect. You don't want your furnace to go dry.

Keeping a certain summertime maximum temp is not that important, the important thing is maintaining a reasonable relative humidity in the house. Setting the thermostat to, lets say, 85* will result in a certain relative humidity during the summer. There are some thermostats that can be set to a temperature setpoint and a maximum humidity. They will override the temperature setting, to a userdefined limit, and lower the temp to remove moisture to satisfy the RH setting you have selected.

Along the lines of A/C: has you unit been serviced lately, coils cleaned, wires tightened, refrigerant charge verified etc? At the least, the return air filters should be changed.

Tim

Monkey344
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the water in your p.traps for sinks and tubs will eventually evaporate. Therefore you may want to get some of those rubber plugs. Else the sewer gases might come up and leave you with unpleasant odors.
spud3
join:2007-03-24
Constantine, MI

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A setback thermostat at 90 with
AC operation from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. set low enough 74
to operate continually during the 2-hour period
see closing your house

»lake.ifas.ufl.edu/family ··· _000.pdf

Pacrat
Old and Cranky
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join:2001-03-10
Cortland, OH

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Around here, the local cops will give the house a quick check everyday if you ask nicely. Seriously, it's a service they advertise on their web site. They don't enter the property, but will check to see if all the outside doors are secured and locked. Also, make sure to stop all mail at the post office and any and all newspaper deliveries if you subscribe. If you know your neighbors fairly well, it wouldn't hurt to ask them to kinda keep an eye out for you, too. You may also have to arrange for someone to cut the grass if you're going to be gone that long.

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Scouts Out
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join:2001-03-04
North Port, FL
·Comcast XFINITY

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said by mattmag:

...I'd think 85 is a little high.
I assume your freezer/refrigerator is empty.p

Yea, I was thinking a bit high too, so, 80 it will be. Yessir, we'll have the refrigerators and freezer empty and unplugged.
said by jrs8084:

You didn't mention how it was heated, but make sure the water heater is off (killing circuit may have you covered)
If you have a water cutoff inside the house-turn the water off so a neighbor doesn't turn the water on at the street and use your spigots.

Tankless that uses a bit of electricity to ignite the gas. I wouldn't see any reason to keep that thing on. Good idea on the water cutoff in the house... didn't think about that. TY
said by pende_tim:

...lights would be nice for that person.
Do you have a sump pump? Make sure that is on.
Also any attic fans should be left turned on at the breaker.
Security lights? Alarm system? they need power.
Water heater OFF?
Yes, turn off water supply to house.
Open faucets and drain pipes as best you can...
Add RV antifreeze to toilets bowls to keep them from freezing. Do this after you flush water from tank.
Stop garbage collection if that is billed separately from taxes.

Check, check and check. I didn't think about the sump pump, so that will stay on ... well, heck, now that you've brought all those points up, I guess the CBs will stay on. TY
said by jack b:

...install lamp timers in different rooms and set them for random cycles.
...make sure no "squatters" have taken up residence.

I've re-evaluated my circuit breaker stance and the lamp timers will help as well. Squatters ... yea, I've read about them. That would be a nightmare for them if either I or my neighbors find them in my house. TY.

jack b
Gone Fishing
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Cape Cod

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Along the security front, you should install lamp timers in different rooms and set them for random cycles.

You will need for someone to go into the house frequently and make sure no "squatters" have taken up residence. Those can be especially difficult to eliminate once established, and more costly and time consuming than any rodent infestation ever was.

pende_tim
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Selbyville, DE

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I would not turn off all the CBs in the house except Ac and heat.

Someone may need to get in a look around for you to check things out so lights would be nice for that person.

Do you have a sump pump? Make sure that is on. Also any attic fans should be left turned on at the breaker.

Security lights? Alarm system? they need power.

Water heater OFF?

Yes, turn off water supply to house.

Open faucets and drain pipes as best you can so if furnace fails pipes will not burst. However the chances of the inside pipes of a house in Ga freezing is slim to none.

Add RV antifreeze to toilets bowls to keep them from freezing. Do this after you flush water from tank.

Stop garbage collection if that is billed separately from taxes.

Most important: God bless and be safe.

jrs8084
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join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

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You didn't mention how it was heated, but make sure the water heater is off (killing circuit may have you covered)

If you have a water cutoff inside the house-turn the water off so a neighbor doesn't turn the water on at the street and use your spigots.

mattmag

join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois

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Well first off, thank you for serving our country.

On the AC, I'd think 85 is a little high. Maybe closer to 80? I don't think you'll get effective de-humidification at that higher temp setting.

I assume your freezer/refrigerator is empty?

Otherwise it looks OK. I'm sure there are other things that will be mentioned here though.

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Scouts Out
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North Port, FL
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We're leaving our house for an extended time (she's going up north with family/friends ... I'm going on my 5th combat tour) and I do not know what to leave on. We live in the south, so we have humidity to deal with. We have a pool as well. My guesses are:

* Run both ACs, set to - 85F?
* Run furnaces, set to - 55F?
* Keep gas on
* Kill all circuit breakers except above
* Turn off water at the street

That's all I can think of. The pool is currently closed for the winter with a heavy duty cover (think elephant cover thing). Not sure if I should just leave it as is until we come back or not. I might have the pool company come out and assist.

Anyone with experience on this - I've never left a house empty before. Can y'all assist? What am I missing? (yes, the security piece is covered)