I can't speak for other states but in Florida, if you turn off your water while you are away, it is important to take certain steps.
1. Block all your drains, sinks, shower, tub and overflow. I use metal pot scrubbers and paper towel in the tub drain covers with duct tape.
2. Fill the bowl of your toilet.
3. Saran wrap your toilet. I know this sounds weird but I have done it for the last two years and this year I realized just what a good idea it was. When I arrived this year, my guest bathroom had a huge palmetto bug in it, when the water evaporates the bugs can get in. If I had not Saran wrapped the bowl and held down the seat with a heavy cookbook that bug would have been in my house. As it was I waved bye-bye as I flushed him down and then I removed the wrapping.
4. Don't forget to cover your garbage disposal as well.
The first few years I didn't turn off the water, but I realized that the potential for damage to the house from water pipe issues or a running toilet can add up to big charges.
The first two years we were in Florida, we didn't turn off the water when we left. This turned out not to be such a good idea as the toilet was flushed by a visitor and it didn't stop running. Luckily the water company noticed the severe increase in our water usage and we were able to get someone back over to the house to check it out. It cost us an extra $150. We now pay the turn-on fee to get the water shut off right after we leave and turned on right before we arrived. It worked perfectly.
What didn't work perfectly was the cable. We have extended basic and Internet when we are living here. I called in December to arrange to have it turned on January 4th. We arrived on January 6 and we had no cable. Not even the basic we are entitled too as part of our HOA. I called the cable office but of course, no one got back to me until late Monday morning, after I had already gotten through to the office. Oops, they didn't do what I had requested.
I did learn one thing, however, if I had attached the wire directly from the wall to our TV we would have had Basic. They disable the box and of course, the TVs are connected to the boxes.
This year I have also arranged to have the newspaper delivered every day, I like the local Ocala newspaper and when I tried to buy one Monday at CVS, they were already sold out.
I do know that some people also turn off their electricity as well when they leave. I don't want to do this since if there is no AC in the summer, we are more likely to have mold and mildew growing in our home. Yes, it costs me on average about $45-50 a month but to keep my house safe, it is well worth the cost.
We also have pest control. We get four exterior treatments each year and then we also get termite treatment and a once a year inspection. Do we find bugs, yes when we get here we always find bugs but they are dead, they have crossed the perimeter and been terminated.
These are just a few of the things that snowbirds need to know and deal with but I figure that all told, including monthly lawn care and our HOA, insurance and taxes, it costs us just slightly over $5,000 to keep our home in Florida. Of course, we will need to replace our roof every 15-20 years and maintain and eventually replace the AC system but it is not nearly as expensive to have a winter getaway as you may think.
Again this year we are considering whether we want to rent our house out while we are gone. It is a hard decision and we have not decided yet what we prefer to do.
We left the frozen north on January 1st and the first two legs of our journey south were quite uneventful. Had I been more alert I would have known that I really should have driven twice as far each day so that we could get south before Grayson hit but of course, I wasn't paying attention and we realized when we got to Mooresville, NC that we would not be able to continue to head toward Savannah which had been hit with a record-setting cold and snow event. If that wasn't enough, Charleston was also pounded so I-95 was a nightmare as only snow and ice in the south can create.
We hunkered down for an extra day here in Mooresville but since the cold seems to want to hang around we have decided to change our route and go by way of I-85 from Charlotte to Atlanta and then I-75 home. Which brings up a good point, knowing the alternative routes. We usually just go the same way with the big decision coming once we are on I-10 in northern Florida.
So, instead of Friday, we got home on Saturday. It is only one day late and since we spent the night at my brother's, we didn't end up spending more money but it is the uncertainty that was not a lot of fun. I should have planned better for contingencies. I have to say too that our hotels have been very cooperative in allowing us to change dates without penalty. Thank you to both Candlewood Suites and Fairfield Inn for their generosity.
