# Leaving house unattended for all of July: your advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705 "2019-06-18T18:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/41 "2019-06-19T22:49:32Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Wow what did people do before central a/c was standard down there? Fans/ventilation. Less airtight construction. But I don’t think OP wants to leave home for a month with his windows open. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/42 "2019-06-20T03:35:48Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Another vote for not turning the AC off or setting too high. > > Did this the first summer here while on vacation. Nope, never again. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I did this for 3 weeks in Atlanta (80 degree setting). When I got back I had yellow mold on my countertops, black mold on the walls, and red mold in the toilet. Wasn’t worth the $25 of electricity that I probably saved. **ftg** , is this similar to the problem you cryptically alluded to? Any other southerners (or denizens of other hot, humid climates) care to add their similar (or contradictory) experiences? > [@kanicbird](#): > > Also consider if you have the water heater heating water, even by pilot light, do you want to close the main? Ooh, very good point! **Machine Elf** , any thoughts on this? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/43 "2019-06-20T03:59:50Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Take a bottle of water, drink half, then lay it on its side in the freezer to freeze. When you leave, stand the bottle upright. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/44 "2019-06-20T06:41:20Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > Take a bottle of water, drink half, then lay it on its side in the freezer to freeze. When you leave, stand the bottle upright. > > 😕 If the freezer loses power for an extended period of time the water in the bottle will melt and pool at the bottom of the bottle to re-freeze when the power comes back on. If, when the OP returns, the bottle has water frozen but pooled at the bottom then he should consider that any perishables in the freezer experienced a thaw and re-freeze and are likely spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/45 "2019-06-20T07:24:45Z")
I help my mother who lived in America with technology issues. We talk on Skype, and she points the camera of her phone at whatever we are talking about. She’s 83 and not technical but with someone there on a video call, she feels much better. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/46 "2019-06-20T10:24:28Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > If the freezer loses power for an extended period of time the water in the bottle will melt and pool at the bottom of the bottle to re-freeze when the power comes back on. We use a bowl of ice cubes for that. Plus… ice cubes for drinks! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/47 "2019-06-20T11:18:46Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Ooh, very good point! **Machine Elf** , any thoughts on this? Regardless of whether the main supply is turned on or not, the water heater isn’t going to boil the water in the tank (the “good hot shower temperature” **kanicbird** mentioned is probably 100F-110F, and a fully hot tank of water is about 120F, whereas boiling is 212F). If by some crazy combination of circumstances the main burner _does_ stick on and boil the water, the tank is equipped with a [pressure relief valve:](https://www.watts.com/resources/references-tools/t-and-p-relief-valves) if pressure builds up to excessive levels, this valve should save the day for you by releasing water in a controlled manner so that it is piped to a nearby drain. (and if you’ve left the kitchen sink faucet open as I described upthread, then pressure buildup won’t be any sort of issue at all). Note that the main water supply line on many homes is equipped with a backflow preventer, or a pressure regulator that inherently prevents backflow. In these homes, it doesn’t matter whether the main supply is turned on or not; there will be no way to relieve system overpressure except by the relief valve on the water heater. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/48 "2019-06-20T11:35:19Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > **ftg** , is this similar to the problem you cryptically alluded to? Didn’t think I was being cryptic. Our basement is remarkably dry compared to most in the area. Lots of stuff stored there. As a result of this one-time mistake a lot of mildew and such arose on items. Cardboard boxes had to be replaced. Etc. The main part of the house was just musty smelling for a while. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705/49 "2019-06-20T12:08:00Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > … > Any other southerners (or denizens of other hot, humid climates) care to add their similar (or contradictory) experiences? > > … From North Carolina to Texas, and a few states in between, for the past 60 years. We have always turned the thermostat up to high 70s or low 80s when being out of the house for a week or more. My father was a bit tightfisted, but he woulnd’t turn it off. As long as the AC comes on during the day, and your house is relatively well sealed against moisture (a given if it has been built in the last 30 years or so), then you should be OK. Atlanta in July is pretty warm, so at 80, it will come on during the day and keep things dry. Another reason you want to keep it from getting too hot is that some of the adhesives used for counters, wallpaper, and the like, will begin to soften and come apart around 90 or so. For a day or two, it’s not enough to matter, but for a month, it might start to become one. You want to give yourself plenty of margin, so 80 seems reasonable. Turning it up to 80 is fine, particularly if the house isn’t going to be occupied. Turing it off completely for a month is not and could easily cost you more than you save. Oh, btw, we never turned off the water when going on vacation. When I was a kid, our family would go for two weeks (generally, sometimes longer) every summer and I’ve never done it as an adult. Maybe I’ve just been lucky. I do remember that my father would turn off the water heater (gas), but I generally don’t do that as an adult. As you calculated, it doesn’t save you much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-house-unattended-for-all-of-july-your-advice/835705.md?page=2)