Putting house in hibernation for winter..

[Drifty1]

Hope this is the correct topic area. As we are getting ready to head south for the winter I was wondering what items I need to double check when leaving for 5-6 months.. Since we are in the northwest the temps do not get to bad so am planning to set the thermostat in the 55-60 deg range. Since our daughter is going to be staying in the house over Xmas I thought I would turn down the water heater and maybe turn the water off to the toilet and washer. I have a wifi thermostat so I have the capability to turn up the heat if I forsee colder weather heading to the nothwest..
I have 6 cameras set up to monitor to the house and garage and also 2 motion detector that send me a text if they detect movement in garage and living room. They also let me know when the lights turn on..
So looking for any other items to take care of before we leave.
We also have a neighborhood kid lined up to mow and clean out the gutters a few times.

[JandC]

Turning the water off to toilets is 100% correct. A few years ago we closed up and went to Texas for a month during the winter. We had our son watch the house by doing a quick walk through every week or ten days. On his last check his son, our grandson, used one of the toilets and when he flushed it stuck and continued to run. When we got home there was no flooding but our next water bill was over $400.00!

It sounds to me like you have everything set up pretty good. If you trust your neighbors it may be a good preventive measure to ask one of them to park in your drive once and awhile to give your house an occupied look.

[Drifty1]

Joe, we are going to have the neighbors move 1 of our cars around every once and a while. I might shut the water main off at the street as it should not be a problem for the son in law turn it on when they come.

[kdeiss]

We turn off water at the meter turn off hot water tank unplug all electronics including micro wave
I have a devise that will monitor temperature will call if falls below preset temp or if their is a power failure. You can remotely call the device and it will advice current temp.we put a Battery Tender on car Battery

[CORattler]

Some good input. Anyone have a excel spreadsheet checklist to share?

[Charli]

This is our first time going south and as our departure draws closer my todo list is getting longer, not shorter. We live on an acreage in Manitoba so my needs are a bit different but here it is.
We have a monitored alarm which includes a heat sensor and sump pump sensor and will be setting the thermostat to 10C/50F. I have talked with our Insurance Co and to maintain coverage we need to shut the water off and drain the lines. I will be turning off the tap on the main water line, the well pump, pressure system, hot water tank breaker and water softener. I'll open a tap in the basement to relieve the pressure in the system and put RV antifreeze in the traps and toilet tanks/bowls. I'll be unplugging most of the electric appliances and removing the car battery and storing it on a 2x6 in the basement (don't want it sitting on the concrete). Also going to change Ins on the car to Layup Ins to save a few bucks.
For the septic field I usually put up a snow fence and have never had a problem with freezing however since no water will be pumping to the field it has been suggested that in addition to the fence I put a loose covering of flax straw over the field. I won't be getting the septic tank pumped out till spring and will put a container of septic treatment in the tank to ensure the enzymes are active and composting the contents.
I have arranged for A friend to check the house once a week and will ask one of the neighbours to keep the driveway clear of snow.
That's it for now but as I said the list keeps growing. I'll stay tuned to pick up any more ideas

[1retired06]

We have an alarm system. We have lights set up on timers upstairs and downstairs. We turn off all the water which is easy since on a well. We shut off almost all the circuit breakers, and disconnect the car battery after changing oil. Heat set at 58. Mail forwarding service in place. We stay in Florida for 5.5 months.

[mazboy]

if you leave the heat on just make sure someone comes in, maybe once a week or so to check on everything.

make sure when daughter leaves that water is shut off at the main.

[Drifty1]

All are great ideas... Now I think my list is getting longer also..