Winterizing & Summerizing for Snowbirds
This subject comes up often so here is the result of the best reference the archives turned up. It's at: Winterizing house, 10/17/02. cyminn wrote: I don't worry about the heat, but if you do, there is a temp device that will either phone a number or a cheaper one that will turn on a light if the temp drops. Myself I don't bother. My checks: Turn the water off at the main. Turn the water heater down to Away or Pilot which ever yours says. Turn the heat down to 50. Run water thru the main drain for 10 minutes. (why? because TP will harden up in the line and can plug up.) Put the telephone on Voice Mail only. Stop the paper. Stop the mail. Put a couple of lights on meters that turn on and off. Unplug all TV's and VCRs(why? if you live in an electrical storm area, TVs will pick up on lighting and are a cause of household fires.) Have the friendly neighbor shovel the walk just enough to make it look lived in and also drive once on the driveway. Mountain Jack wrote: Howdy, Charlie; I Feel it depends on where you Live & how Your Home is set-up. What Works for me, Might Not for You. We went south last Nov, & were gone for 7 months. We live in a Mobile Home, out in the country, on the side of a Mountain. All our appliances are electric. Our water comes from underground Artesian Springs. We have a Septic tank. They don't deliver mail here, we have a P.O. Box. Most of our plumbing is PVC, buried 2' in the ground. Anything above ground, i covered with pipe wrap. I put fiberglass insulation over hose bibs & put a 5 gallon plastic bucket over it. Drained all garden hoses. By our main spring, we have a 2,500 Gall holding tank. I turned the water Off there, & drained whatever piping i could. Most is Gravity Fed. On the inside i covered All Mobiles windows with blankets & heavy towels. Covered computer, TV's, vcr's, stereo,etc. For mildew protection, i put a (Dri-Z-Air) with crystals, in sinks. I propped open Frig & Freezer doors. I turned OFF, ALL Electricity, put a hold on my internet service. We have 1 neighbor, about a mile away, He was GoodEnough to check on the place, once in a while, & pick up our mail at Post Office. Anything important, he mailed to our Daughter, in Las Vegas. All our bills were paid from our bank account. The vehicles we left here, i charged the Batts Fully, added distilled water, & disconnected them. This is what Worked for Us. We had a Great Time, down South. might go again this Winter, if i get Off this computer, & get my Chores Done. LOL!! I fyour in the area, check out; www.avicasino.com They have a Huge Free RV Parking area & EveryBody was Friendly. It's between Needles & Laughlin. When we Finalllllly got Home, hadn't planned on stayingaway so Long. Everything was Fine, Except some MICE had taken up SQUATters Rights. But, we cleaned it up. Our Dog & 2 Cats were with Us. My Puppy doesn't like trespassers on Her Mountain, whether they be Mice, Deer, the meter reader, or Whomever. I, No Doubt, have forgotten to mention some things. Just not quite as Young as i Was. If you have any Questions, i can Help with, email me. Have a Fantastic Time, this Winter. Don't Rob any Banks. Take Care. Jack...... rancelumsden wrote: Since you're obviously using the web to access this forum, there is a huge amount of info about winterizing houses on the web. www.pamic.org/Info/Safety%20Articles/oct00.htm www.bre.umd.edu/html/159.html The water supply to the dwelling should be turned off. In addition, pipes and commodes throughout the house should be drained and excess water removed and/or some type of freeze preventative introduced into the plumbing system. A qualified licensed plumber should be consulted for the best plan for your home. If pipes are not drained, those that are subjected to direct outside temperatures should be properly insulated. Exposure to wind and cold can be minimized by scaling off open areas around the foundation of the dwelling during the colder months. Leaving the heat on is no guarantee that it will stay on. Power interruptions occur, furnaces malfunction or run out of fuel. Low thermostat settings may not compensate for unusually cold weather that may grip your area. Your heating system should be inspected and cleaned each year before using it. Shut off the electrical supply to appliances and lighting where practical. Clean out cupboards and pantries so as to remove items that attract rodents and pests. Maintenance of the exterior is important also. Be certain that the roof, guttering and downspouts, siding and windows are in good repair. Remember: autumn leaves can clog a downspout or a basement drain for the entire winter. If the house has functional shutters, they can be closed. Inspect trees on the property for potential problems. Dead trees and/or limbs should be removed. An ice storm can cause overhanging limbs to fall onto the house or even sag to a point of rubbing against the home and damaging the siding. Swimming pools should be properly closed and secured for the season. Arrange to have your driveway cleared in the event of snow or ice so emergency vehicles can gain easy entry if necessary. If you have a central reporting fire alarm or security system, notify the appropriate office of your planned extended absence. Regular visits to the property are your best defense. If not practical for you, then perhaps there is a neighbor whom you could trust to routinely check the home inside and out and report any problems immediately. Anything to add? ....RVSnowbird185KViews0likes38Comments
Guidelines for park owner/members
It has been brought to our attention that apparently Park Owners and Operators are posting on the forum. Many are excellent contributors to the forum with a vast wealth of helpful information in their areas and the operation of parks in general. However, a few folks are posing as rv’ers and answering questions with recommendations to and about their parks or negative reviews of competing parks, etc. This is the exact reason the Usage Policy for these forums state "These forums are for members to members only. Commercial enterprises and/or their representatives are not allowed to post in these forums". If you are one of these members and still choose to post as a member: 1. No posting allowed advertising your park. This includes member name, links, signature etc. 2. No posting critical of competitors parks or facilities. 3. No flaming of other owners. 4. No flaming of members who post in the negative about your park - handle it by private message, email, phone etc. – NOT in the open forums. Those caught doing any of these will be brought to the attention of the membership and/or banned from further forum participation.66KViews0likes0CommentsNo Shaw Service in USA
Just brought our RV to Prince Edward Island for the summer season,Hooked up the Shaw Satelite nothing called and found that starting June 1st need a second account that will cost 50% of the package you have at your principal residence. Got every thing set up with the second account a service guy is suppose to show up Wednesday to install the new LB etc. The big problem as i see it is when we go South for the Winter The lady we were talking to said no more US service.You can suspended this service for up to 10 months so guess when we are ready to go South and we get this second account activated just don't tell them where we are headed and hope that it will work in the US. Anyone else have any thoughts on this. island56KViews0likes183Comments
Any one else giving up snow birding due to the covid
We own our own rv spot in Key Largo, Fl, but will be staying right here in the high country of NC until it is safe to go. Our county here has only a total of five deaths and just a few hundred cases, while our county there has a few thousand cases. It is a no brainer for us ! Guy38KViews0likes138Comments
The snowbird crowd is ageing
Seems to me in Texas the snowbird crowd is ageing, most are over 70 and many over 80. Every year more are too sick or old to make the trip and many have passed on. There are very few younger snowbirds replacing them, seems anytime someone new under 65 comes in it is a rarity. Nearly all parks have many vacancies when 10 years ago it was advisable to have reservations if you wanted a spot for the winter. Your Observations ???31KViews0likes201Comments
South-TX Weather Has Been Wonderful (So Far)
I am sure there other parts of the country having very nice winter weather, but for the folks in south-TX we have really been blessed with some awesome weather. I know there is allot of winter left, but after all the bad weather we had last year, so far SO GOOD!27KViews0likes116Comments
Changes to Snowbird lifestyle and Snowbird communitiess
This post is not about the virus or masks or anything else that is controversial. Please do not post anything that will kill the thread. I was reading an article about the tourist industry down by 60% in Puerto Vallarta. Also another about tourists not going to Churchill to see the Polar bears. We all know how things have changed for our RV travel. But what is really serious is the effect on Snowbird destinations. In many of these communities almost 30% of the winter visitors are Canadians. With the border closed Canadians will not be travelling to the USA. Some Canadians with units that remain in the USA may decide to fly. The rest will be at home. This will result in a lack of business for RV parks,Restaurants, gas stations, retail stores and more. Some of these businesses will probably close. Even many American snowbirds may decide not to travel for health reasons.One has to wonder about changes that may remain permanent at RV parks. Pot lucks might be a thing of the past. Crowded music jams could end. Sure does not sound like fun! I suppose that Canadians will now be hoarding winter parkas and boots!25KViews0likes93Comments
Covid 19 warning
For what it's worth, I just received news a good friend of mine passed away this morning from Covid 19. He got while RVing and they were being careful. His wife also go it, probably from him, but just got very ill. He was on a ventilator in hospital for 2 weeks. He was healthy and active. This is a wake up call for me. A winter at home beats eternity 6 ft under. This disease is not one to be blase about, it is not a hoax, it is not less dangerous than flu. Think long and hard before you decide to play Russian Roulette by heading for the sun this winter before there is a vaccine.25KViews0likes111CommentsWhere you going this Winter?
Yup we are already thinking about joining our friends down at our Winter digs and it's really not to early to think about it. With that we are still getting out camping locally with friends over the Summer and enjoying times with friends here in Reno. After traveling years in the SW we have settled into the Casa Grande, AZ area and now about 11 miles South on I-10 in Eloy, AZ in particular. We'll be at the Silverado RV Resort again this Winter. The area has so much history, like alot of the SW, and plenty to do. Casa Grande has many of the big box stores, good restaurants (many ethnic), great grocery stores and the list goes on and on. Winter climate? Tough to beat...and no bugs!! Day time temps high 60's to mid 70's (last year we had temps in the 80's in January). Night time high 30's to mid 40's and have never froze up. Here is a Trip Journal entry from January 2016. Our Trip Journal has the 'skinny' on our travels. Safe travels everyone!!23KViews0likes103Comments