Cardinal RV Club

How do you snowbirds winterize your stick home for the winter? We will not leave this year until the worst is over plus son is still home. But God willing the 2013/2014 fall winter season we hope to be out of here.

Turn water off at main and drain cold water lines highest to lowest - don't forget washer
Close plugs in sinks and put lids down on toilets to keep water from evaporating and leaving traps dry (stinky!) or add the pink stuff to them
Cover outside faucets with insulated wrap and covers
Set water heater to a vacation setting or low
We leave inside heat set at about 50*
Unplug appliances such as TVs, stereos, coffee maker (these are things that are susceptible to power fluctuations)
Leave low wattage lamp on a timer - even better, have multiple timers set for different times hooked to different lamps in different rooms.
Arrange for mail to be forwarded or picked up and dealt with by trusted friend or relative and ask them to do drive-bys every few days if possible
Stop newspaper if you get one (we don't - why bother when your on the road having so much fun!)
If you still have a land line phone, think about answering machine or voice mail settings (we are strictly cell phone - we don't want to pay for phone service we don't use half the year)
Clear out perishables from fridge
If you live in snow country, think about having drives and walks cleared while you are gone to keep house from shouting vacant
Notify neighborhood watch or local law enforcement if you can
Leave your itinerary, contact information, etc, with a trusted friend/relative for emergency purposes
And don't forget to plan ahead for those important medications...will they run out while you are gone?
Since water pipes are generally inside and somewhat insulated I don't worry about them freezing like our rigs. But do be aware of outside faucets since they can freeze, split and create an interesting (but expensive) water fountain!

I know...way past winterizing, but things to think about when you are going to begone for more than a few days.

In years past, when we have left in January for 3 months, we have always turned the heat to 50º, turned the water heater way down, shut off water softener, unplugged desktop computer, TVs, etc.. We let the bank know our approximate route, give contact numbers to Post Office, guy who watches the house, and Den's family in our area.. We also clean out fridge as much as possible and HOPE the power won't be out long if at ALL, As the freezer is usually pretty full of food! But that will NOT make us stay home - just to watch the freezer! LOL! Den also pays 3 months ahead on the utilities - gas and electric, on the house phone, cable bill, cell phone bill, insurances, etc. We DO have a few things we can pay on line - like Credit card for fuel, etc. He is "Old School" however, and does not really like to have our billing info "out there''..

This has always worked for us, and should work for our Alaska, too!

In addition to the above tips we gather all the house plants in one spot so our friends that watch after the house can water them easily. We have a nice deal worked out with a couple that watch after the house, gather/ sort our mail from the PO Box and mail the important stuff to us with a flat rate envelope, and water the plants in exchange for the use of the 4 car garage to store their hot-rods and other vehicles inside during our absence.

We empty our fridge/freezer and unplug it.

It can be done Mile, so go enjoy. If something is going to happen it won't matter if you are home or not.

When my folks were snowbirding they used to have a house with hot water heat. My Dad filled the system with anti-freeze, blew all of the water lines out, emptied the hot water heater and dumped anti freeze in all of the drains, and in the toilet tanks and bowls. He also pumped it in thru the washer and dish washer pumps. When they left they would shut off the furnace and turn off all but a few circuit breakers in the electric panel.

In probably the 15-20 years he did this they only had 2 problems when turning on the water in the spring. 1 was an inlet fitting on the upstairs toilet and an inlet fitting on a bathroom sink.

When we head out for an extended trip in the winter I plan on turning off the water, blowing out the water lines, emptying the hot water tank, and putting anti freeze where ever freezeing might occur. Then I will turn down the heat to 50* and hit the road!

A lot of good suggestions, the only thing I would add is to go to your local police station let them know you will be gone. Ours has a form we fill out with information about how to reach us if necessary.

We usually just turn down the furnace to about 60 and unplug the electronics in the house. All of our billls are done online or by direct withdrawal from the checking account. I have alerts sent to my iPhone that the bills are due or paid. I also forward the home phone to my cell so we don't miss those that call our house. My brother checks on the house a couple of times a week. We also have a hot tub that we set on a lower temperature. We are usually away about 5 months during the winter and another month during the summer. We live in the country so we also rely on neighbors to "take a look" on their way by. Knock on wood, no problems so far!!

Well I just found out this am one more thing for you "snow birds" to shut off before you head to warmer climates. As I stepped on the rug in front of my fridge to get my coffee cream out....I found that it was all wet For some reason where the water line goes into the back of the fridge had started to leak. If we were away, I can't even imagine how much damage would have been done to our floors.....and what kind of water bill when we finally got home. Just a thought...can't be to careful.

It’s why it’s a good idea to shut the water off in the house.

We also put "ClingWrap" over the toilet to keep the water from evaporating. Word to the wise---"when you get home remember to remove it". I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE.

Mike Clay wrote:

I can laugh now, but at the time

Traveler II wrote:It’s why it’s a good idea to shut the water off in the house.

We also put "ClingWrap" over the toilet to keep the water from evaporating. Word to the wise---"when you get home remember to remove it". I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE.

Buwaaaaaaaahhhhh Boy does that bring back a few memories ...The old cling Wrap over the toydee trick. Almost as funny as the napkin over the "head" of a beer