Home & Garden

Extended time away - water shutoff? Vehicle?

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  • Dec 17th, 2021 12:46 pm
Deal Fanatic
Jan 21, 2018
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Vancouver
It's possible to monitor the house remotely, including the interior temperature. So you wouldn't have to worry about freezing as long as you could call someone who lives nearby to go over to the house in case of emergency. But that does require you to maintain an internet connection, and unfortunately home automation gear is not all that reliable, so it tends to drop offline within a few weeks if nobody is around to reset it.
Sr. Member
Dec 22, 2004
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Toronto
DoorCrasher wrote: Read what I said... If you turn off main valve, and do not drain pipes you may have water damages because water left in pipes could freeze. If you turn off main valve AND drain pipes, there will be no burst as the pipes will be empty or very little water damages from the little water left in the pipes after being drained
Totally agree with is. What can happen is the pipe can burst and water in the pipe leaks out, no problem yet...but when you get home and turn on the water, it will flood your house. That is why you should drain the lines.

Having said that, depending on how old the house is, burst pipes may not be as big of an issue. Older houses have copper pipes that are more likely to burst. Newer houses have pex which are pretty burst resistant. Search YouTube,, tons of videos confirming.

I have a friend who came up with a genius idea. They installed a whole home generator and have a bunch of oil filled heaters around the house. They were all set to very low temp, so they are never on consuming no power. If furnace failed they would heat the house to above freezing.

To OP...not sure where you live, but if you have a sump pump, make sure it is in good condition. Install a backup. Total nightmare if it fails.
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Feb 9, 2012
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Thanks again all.

Last question I hope.... Is 10C really enough to leave at or or should I leave on higher? I'm in Toronto. Newer home, 10 years old.
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Nov 21, 2013
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Montréal
cessnabmw wrote: Thanks again all.

Last question I hope.... Is 10C really enough to leave at or or should I leave on higher? I'm in Toronto. Newer home, 10 years old.
10°C is enough. Way above the freezing mark, but low enough to save $$$. No need to heat the house to a comfortable point if there is nobody home.
Deal Guru
Feb 4, 2015
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Canada, Eh!!
Scote64 wrote: It's possible to monitor the house remotely, including the interior temperature. So you wouldn't have to worry about freezing as long as you could call someone who lives nearby to go over to the house in case of emergency. But that does require you to maintain an internet connection, and unfortunately home automation gear is not all that reliable, so it tends to drop offline within a few weeks if nobody is around to reset it.
Good point.

Can always set up a timer to restart modem/router every day. Mechanical timer will work as well as wifi timer which still works in timer mode even if wifi off.
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2017,2018: BOC raised rates 5 times and MCAP raised its prime next day each time.
2020: BOC dropped rates 3 times and MCAP waited to drop its prime to include all 3 drops.
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Jan 21, 2018
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georvu wrote: Good point.

Can always set up a timer to restart modem/router every day. Mechanical timer will work as well as wifi timer which still works in timer mode even if wifi off.
I have done that with my router back when I had a Linksys model that tended to develop problems every couple of weeks, but my current Netgear router is stable long term. I have also done that with my internet cameras that tend to go offline within a few days if they don't get a reset.

But if you have a lot of home monitoring devices with unreliable WiFi connections, it's not enough to reboot the router - you may have to reset or power-cycle a lot of individual components. You probably don't have enough timers or smart switches to handle all of them, so you would have to pick a couple of the most important / least reliable ones.
Deal Guru
Feb 4, 2015
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Scote64 wrote: I have done that with my router back when I had a Linksys model that tended to develop problems every couple of weeks, but my current Netgear router is stable long term. I have also done that with my internet cameras that tend to go offline within a few days if they don't get a reset.

But if you have a lot of home monitoring devices with unreliable WiFi connections, it's not enough to reboot the router - you may have to reset or power-cycle a lot of individual components. You probably don't have enough timers or smart switches to handle all of them, so you would have to pick a couple of the most important / least reliable ones.
True.

Have several wifi timers so not enough for all devices. But have like 10 mechanical timers... HD and other stores have clearance every now and then so get like 2 for $5.
2022/3: BOC raised 10 times and MCAP raised its prime next day.
2017,2018: BOC raised rates 5 times and MCAP raised its prime next day each time.
2020: BOC dropped rates 3 times and MCAP waited to drop its prime to include all 3 drops.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 5, 2009
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my_sir wrote: Totally agree with is. What can happen is the pipe can burst and water in the pipe leaks out, no problem yet...but when you get home and turn on the water, it will flood your house. That is why you should drain the lines.

filled heaters around the house. They were all set to very low temp, so they are never on consuming no power. If furnace failed they would heat the house to above freezing.
No offence but This is silly and you guys are over thinking this. We’ve already established to keep heat on so pipes freezing is not an issue. So a “burst pipe” would be from erosion of some kind or a defect, in which case that leak is imminent. In that case , having your water off is the only mitigation you really need. Your pipe bursting when you are away , but with water off vs your pipe bursting when you get back days later will result Is almost the exact same thing.

Also as I mentioned connecting hoses failing are a much bigger risk that pipes spontaneously bursting. Though both can absolutely happen.
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Nov 21, 2013
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fdl wrote: No offence but This is silly and you guys are over thinking this. We’ve already established to keep heat on so pipes freezing is not an issue. So a “burst pipe” would be from erosion of some kind or a defect, in which case that leak is imminent. In that case , having your water off is the only mitigation you really need. Your pipe bursting when you are away , but with water off vs your pipe bursting when you get back days later will result Is almost the exact same thing.

Also as I mentioned connecting hoses failing are a much bigger risk that pipes spontaneously bursting. Though both can absolutely happen.
What if furnace / heating device fails? I heat with electric baseboards. What if I leave home, and there is a power outage that lasts few days? If my baseboards are set to 10°C it would take not that long for the house to reach the 0°C if there is an outage that last few days. It's not overthinking, it's being safe and trying to limit damages if anything happens
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Dec 5, 2009
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DoorCrasher wrote: What if furnace / heating device fails? I heat with electric baseboards. What if I leave home, and there is a power outage that lasts few days? If my baseboards are set to 10°C it would take not that long for the house to reach the 0°C if there is an outage that last few days. It's not overthinking, it's being safe and trying to limit damages if anything happens
Ya, I’m not trying to debate about pipes freezing. If that is your concern go for it though I think it would take longer than you think for your pipes to freeze due to a power failure.

However the reason given I responded to was a pipe bursting and then coming home and turning the water back on and that would somehow cause more damage. It wouldn’t.
Deal Addict
Jun 16, 2009
4517 posts
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Vaughan
@TomLafinsky Can you please suggest which charger you referred here and in earlier posts. 12V battery on my hybrid seems to be draining out . I just got a mail from dealer to buy a batter maintainer / trickler to prevent happening it again.
TomLafinsky wrote: You are over-thinking the situation about your vehicle. For 3 months you don't even need to over-inflate tires. No do not disconnect the battery. The alarm system on your vehicle is constantly draining the battery. So it is a good idea to connect the battery to a good charger. A charger like this one would be very good for you. Btw I have 4 CTEK chargers. CTEK are probably the best battery chargers in the world. More than 100 of the best and/or largest companies in the world use them.

To clarify my previous post; my insurance company obliges me to have someone enter the house to verify the furnace is working at least every 4 days during heating season. IOW, if the house would be left alone 5 days and disaster strikes I have no coverage.

Make sure someone comes to your house to remove flyers/anything left at your front door. You should also have someone removes the snow on a timely basis. It wouldn't hurt to have someone occasionally parking his/her car in your driveway to give the illusion someone is actually in the house. If someone enters the house every few days ask him/her to open/close some blinds so your house doesn't always look the same day after day.

The bottom line is do everything you can to give the appearance that the house is occupied. BUT if burglars want to get in they will. Unless someone actually lives there your house is always more vulnerable when nobody is living there.

For more peace of mind you could always install a cam that you could monitor remotely. But make sure the setup is very secure (password!!!) otherwise you might end up here LOL!!!
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Feb 11, 2007
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newlyborn wrote: @TomLafinsky Can you please suggest which charger you referred here and in earlier posts. 12V battery on my hybrid seems to be draining out . I just got a mail from dealer to buy a batter maintainer / trickler to prevent happening it again.
I have a $20 one from bang good.com and a $50 from CT, they both work well.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
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Jun 16, 2009
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Vaughan
Please provide the links. I found this one on CT
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noco ... p.html#srp

P.S: I have been specifically told to buy atleast 5Amps charger due to Hybrid vehicle.
engineered wrote: I have a $20 one from bang good.com and a $50 from CT, they both work well.
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Feb 11, 2007
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newlyborn wrote: Please provide the links. I found this one on CT
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noco ... p.html#srp

P.S: I have been specifically told to buy atleast 5Amps charger due to Hybrid vehicle.
I've had an older version of this one for about 15 years. This should go on sale for $50-60. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/moto ... 1975p.html
I got this one on sale for $24 https://www.banggood.com/12V-or-24V-8A- ... 62223.html
Both work well. I've started the car with each of them connected, I even drove over my older one and it survived.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
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Jun 16, 2009
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Do these chargers needs to be plugged in into 120 V receptacle or its like Noco versions which can be charged first and then provide charger / boost the batteries.
As much as possible, I like to stay cord free.
TomLafinsky wrote: If you click the link in the first paragraph it will take you to a CTEK charger on Amazon.com.

This one provides up to 7 amps so that should be more than enough if you need at least 5 amps as you mentioned in your other post.

If you buy a CTEK charger it will last you the rest of your life. They are that good. I've done dumb things like starting the car when the charger was plugged into an outlet and connected to the battery of the car. Did that twice and the charger was unaffected. IMO, you can't buy a better, more versatile and durable charger than one made by CTEK. When it comes to battery chargers, you get what you pay for... My 2 cents.
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Mar 28, 2021
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cessnabmw wrote: Thanks again all!!

I called our insurance company and they need someone to only check once a month! They also told me they could put it on file that we are away. The home insurance premium would increase by about $90 for the duration we are gone to offset the extra risk. The vehicle will be put on storage mode and we would get a refund of $450 for that!

So far my plan is:

1. Shut off the main. Drain the faucets and flush the toilets after. Lower the temp setting on the hot water tank. Do I need to turn it off or just lower it? There is no vacation setting on it.
2. Unplug all eletronics
3. I have someone who will have a key and visit at least once a week (live 5 doors down on our street). They will check the mail / flyers and do a walkthrough of the house.
4. I will park the car in the garage. Need to decide on disconnecting the battery or get a charger. If disconnecting, do I disconnect both terminals or just one?
5. The two neighbours adjacent to me will use my driveway to park their extra cars and will shovel the snow if any.
6. I'll setup a couple of lamps with a WiFi Smart plug
7. Will set the furnace to 16C or 17C. Is that enough?
8. Will not start up the steam humidifier (water will be closed anyways)

Other options I'm looking at:

1. Setting up an IP cam to view remotely. Any suggestions on cheap ones and how many would I need?
2. Getting a ctek battery charger to use instead of disconnecting the battery.

Thanks again for all your help!
Hey there - I am in a similar position as you. Did you turn off the hot water heater or put it on low?
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