Tips for a new seasonal homeowner? Any advice appeciated.

[lojim]

Best suggestion: make a 'check list' that you follow each time. I live near Bear Creek but have a cabin in Potter county. We only drain the water when we are going to be away for at least a month in the winter. Turning off the circuts is always a good idea.

FYI: a small generator is a good idea. It's really not needed for 99.9% of the time up here.

What type of plumbing do you have? If it's newer (Pex) it will flex if it does happen to freeze. You don't want it too - but if you plan to come up each week it would have to get really cold during that week to make your pipes freeze if the power does happen to go out.


Edit: Forgot to mention to make your home look 'lived in' even when you are not around. A light on a timer is a good idea. It's not a high crime area but there are some people who take advantage of weekenders.

[KatWag]

Thanks.

We are going to look into ADT system. Turn on and off lights. I've read about some issues with break ins and hope to avoid it.
Not sure what type of pipes. Will check.

Thanks very much, everyone. This newbie very much appreciates the help.

Kathy

[poconogirl]

Kat,

Unless money is no object to you, I would save a few dollar here and there... Here is what we do every time we leave the house:

1. turn off main electric breaker to water pump
2. turn off hot water heater if it is electric
3. lower the fridge to minimum temp. --- if you can empty it out, turn it off.
4. set a automatic plug with a dehumifier turn on 4-8 hr a day set at 70% humidity, drain it to a drainage hole in your basement... this will avoid LOTS of issues in the pocono. (you do not need this in winter)
5. For winter: drain out the entire water system in the pipe, flash the toilet until it does not fill the bowl anymore, turn all faucet to ON positions, hot water tank you DO NOT need to drain it out unless you will not go back there for weeks... if it is just 1 week period, the tank will not freeze indoor.
6. For winter: turn off the entire heating system to save money. Electric heat can kill you in $, unless you do not care about $.
7. Close all windows, and doors.

8. To save money: all you need is an internet connection - from that you can set up your own phone system with your number for $200 (NOT THE TRIPLE PLAY rip off plan), and set up your own ADT system for $300 with no monthly fee.

9. unless $ is no object to you: try to reduce the monthly operating cost of your 2nd home to the lowest possible monthly cost....

poconogirl

[KatWag]

Thanks for the ideas, Poconogirl. Can I ask more about the dehumidifier? What are the lots of issues? Is it because the houses don't have central air? I have been a little concerned about that but my husband says it would be very expensive to add it.

Thank,

k

[Irish Eyes]

PA is very...moist. It can get very damp in a home that's closed up for a while. Central air is pretty much unheard of! We put air conditioners in the LR and our bedroom and I can count the number of times we've used them. We were glad to have them when we did turn them on but central air would be a huge waste of money.

We don't have a dehumidifier running all the time. Does your house have a crawl space? My husband put down a vapor barrier last year. Which is basically a thick plastic tarp that covers the ground. And we put in a fan that runs on a timer. The house is much, much drier now. I use damp rid in the closets where we keep clothes and our skis. I also put a small one in the bookcase to keep the books from molding. Damprid is fantastic!

[okaydorothy]

We have had our vacation home for about 4 years. We do use it in the winter about 2 weekends each month. When we are not there, we turn off the heat in the rooms except for the bathrooms (2). We set those at 50. It has electric heat so no piping going thru the bedrooms.
We also have a heater under the sink in the kitchen that we set at minimum. In the crawl space we have a space heater set up to come on at 40.
For summers, we have ac units in the windows ; we only put them in last year and this year. Of course they are taken out in the winter.
So far, so good. Yes, it can be cold when we get there, but electric heat heats up the hosue quickly so within about 3 hours its cosy. We also have a propane fireplace that is always turned off when we are not there.

[KatWag]

Thanks. Damp rid going on my list. We do have a crawl space. Moisture is an issue there. One of our first tasks is vapor barrier, close vents, and install gutters. Hoping that takes care of the moisture problem there.

I am thinking we will try window A/C unit for bedroom. This will be the first house we have ever had without central air and I use it constantly in our current home. We are about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

[Irish Eyes]

We put the A/C in the wall, that way we don't have to take them out and put them in every year. We just get covers for the outside in the winter. The vapor barrier is great!

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by KatWag

I am thinking we will try window A/C unit for bedroom. This will be the first house we have ever had without central air and I use it constantly in our current home. We are about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

I live in Montgomery County, and like you, my home AC runs from June to September. But, I don't have AC at my place at Towamensing Trails, and don't miss it, except during the worst of heat waves. Do some research. At elevation, the avg temp where your new house is might be 6-9 degrees cooler than where you live. Check daily on weather.com.
Another big factor is shade. If your house is shaded, you might not want to jump right into spending $ for AC that might be seldom used. Our house is shaded all summer, and with ceiling fans in the living room and all bedrooms, we don't need AC. WE open all the windows all night, then close them and draw the blinds on the sunny side of the house when we get up, and the house stays cool all day.

[KatWag]

Thanks. Lucky for us we are settling end of August so we will hopefully not have to think about A/C until Spring. It would be great if we end up not needing it.