Question for the northern snowbirds

[4wanderingeyes]

I am not ready to become a snowbird yet, but at what temp do you keep your vacant house at for winter to prevent damage or mold?
I am in northern Wisconsin

 

[tooln]

I am not ready to become a snowbird yet, but at what temp do you keep your vacant house at for winter to prevent damage or mold?
I am in northern Wisconsin

I'm not a snowbird yet. Last year we did spend 2 weeks in Florida in Feb. We have a smart thermostat, set it to 55 while we were gone. Before we got on the plane to fly home I returned the temp to 70. I did check the house a few times while gone and it never dropped below 58. I could watch it drop slowly from 70 when we left.

 

[bigboreblr]

Some house need more heat to kee stuff from freezing. Sometimes leaving the basement door or bathroom doors helps you out. Unless the house is sealed up really well, probably dont need to worry about mold.

I know some snowbirds shut off their water and drain it. But, still keep their house heat on in the low 50's.

Old houses would have heat registers by the windows. Thought it was a waste of heat for years. But, it's keeing the window surface warm enough to prevent condensation. When you switch t heat pumps, that problem can happen when you turn down the heat.

I have a snowbird question. Any reasonably priced places in florida to go in the winter near a pier? Looking at sebastian inlet maybe. IF its more money than a cruise ,wife wants to go on cruise from NJ. Atleast it stops in port canaveral. About the best place I know to catch nice sheepshead. Since it's catch n release because of the cruise, dont mind sheepshead fishing.

 

[swat1018]

I am leaving for my place in Okeechobee, Florida Thursday. When I leave Indiana I typically set the heat at 56. I have a newer brick home, insulated well, plumbed with PEX. I also have a manifold for the plumbing, so I can turn off all of the individual water lines, which I do. When I designed the home we built in 2008, I intentionally designed it with no plumbing in exterior walls because I knew we would be in FL for the winters.

Bargains anywhere are getting hard to find, especially in FL. Just about anywhere in the FL peninsula you aren't far from water and good fishing.

 

[Bill]

I also have a manifold for the plumbing,

Do you blow the lines out? I made an adaptor that threads on the manifold with a short piece of pex and an air fitting on the end. Hook the compressor to it and blow out each line individually. Just incase we loose power and have no heat. Keep my place at 50 degrees. I used to leave the heat off but it was starting to crack the foundation from freeze and thaw.

 

[Bszweda]

Id winterize it / blow out the lines. I kept my place at 65. Is also used heating tape on the water main. Id also use a internet connected thermostat.

 

[swat1018]

Do you blow the lines out? I made an adaptor that threads on the manifold with a short piece of pex and an air fitting on the end. Hook the compressor to it and blow out each line individually. Just incase we loose power and have no heat. Keep my place at 50 degrees. I used to leave the heat off but it was starting to crack the foundation from freeze and thaw.

In my MO hunting cabin, I just shut off the water at the meter and at a ball valve in the basement. I have a siphon drain on the basement ball valve, I open it and all of the faucets. I'm sure there are some bellies in the pipe that hold a little water, but it's all PEX, that crap won't burst. I don't leave any heat on in MO, but I also put RV anti-freeze in the toilet and all the traps.

In my IN brick home, I leave that heat around 55, again I don't blow out the PEX. I have a wifi thermostat that alerts if there is a problem, plus have 2 cameras outside and one inside.

 

[jackpine]

I keep my cabin at 58 when I’m not there and have a cellular device to monitor the temp. Also built without any plumbing in exterior walls, just turn off the electric water heater and close a ball valve when I leave.


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