Question: We are snowbirds and are going south from November until April. We have recently moved into a condominium, as we found the house requiring a lot of attention while we were gone. My question is about leaving the condo empty and the heat requirements. It is a brand-new building. We are on the second floor of a two-storey building. We are not an end unit. We have electric heat and an air conditioner/fan combination unit.
What would be a safe temperature to leave the thermostat on for the duration? We have no plants. Should we leave the A/C on auto fan? I assume we would turn the water off and the water heater?
If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them.
— Thanks, Lisa M
Answer: Leaving a building unoccupied for an extended period of time does require some due diligence, and you have touched upon several important points. Since the building is a multiple-family style, you have less to worry about than most, but still need take a few precautions to prevent any damage to your unit or those of your fellow condo owners.
Your question is a particularly timely one, as many retirees make plans to head to warmer climates for the winter months. Some will spend the majority of the heating season down south, like you, but others may go for a shorter period of time. Regardless of the length of time vacating your northern habitation, certain items should be addressed to prevent any major problems upon return.
The item most asked about by readers is indeed the heating of your unit. Since your suite is central to the building, and on the upper floor, you could theoretically shut off your heat completely with little concern about frozen pipes or other negative effects. Because you are in the middle portion of the building, your unit will be warmed by those suites adjacent and below yours. Since your units are heated with radiant, electric baseboard heat, this would certainly warm the common walls and floors, preventing any serious issues. Also, the natural convective forces, or "stack effect," within the building will automatically help the suites on the lower floor of the building heat ones on the second floor. Regardless, I would not completely shut off the heat or lower the thermostat to zero. But you could set it at a low temperature, between 10 C and 15 C, with much the same result.
Except on exceptionally cold days or nights, when the heating system is near its maximum output, the overall amount of heat generated by your neighbours and the common-area heaters will likely keep most areas above 20 C. With no added heat to your suite, I would suspect that it would be too cold for comfortable occupancy, but may remain only a little cooler than the rest of the building. If you set your thermostat to the cool but safe level suggested, it may rarely call for heat, keeping your Hydro bill at a minimum. The only two concerns would be if there was a prolonged power failure during a winter storm, or if several of your adjacent neighbours did the same thing.
I am unsure about the setting on your thermostat for the A/C unit, but if it has a mode for fan operation without the cooling cycle, that would be very beneficial. If it runs the fan continuously on a low or moderate speed, then using that mode is a great idea. While it will increase your utility bill somewhat, it should prevent moisture-related issues. Since you are away for an extended period of time, and with only radiant electric heaters, the air in certain areas may become quite stagnant. Especially in closets, corners behind curtains and bathrooms, there is often poor air circulation. Even with normal room temperatures, this air could become cool enough to condense, which would not quickly dry because of the lack of air circulation. Setting the fan on the cooling unit to run all the time may eliminate this stagnant air, preventing both the condensation and drying of any small amounts of the same.
The next question about shutting off the water may be even more important than the heating issue. Water-supply piping in our area is typically set at a constant pressure, around 60 PSI. That means that all the water pipes in your new condo will be constantly pressurized, allowing good water flow when faucets or valves are opened. This may become a major problem if a pipe or fixture suddenly springs a leak. Even a small hole can allow a significant amount of water to flow from the pipes, causing major damage to building materials and furnishings in your suite and adjacent units. If the water supply is left on when you are away, this could run unabated until a major issue is seen in the neighbouring suites. If you shut off your main valve, then there is little to worry about. If a leak suddenly occurs, for whatever reason, there will only be a small amount of water released before the pressure drops to zero and the crisis is averted. Since you likely have an electric water heater, turning off the circuit breaker and shutting the supply valve near the tank will also prevent a waste of energy or excessive leakage if a breach occurs.
While there may be fewer things to consider when leaving your condo for the winter than your former house, shutting the water supply and heater off, lowering the thermostat and turning the fan on will help prevent excessive Hydro bills or major damage if a problem does occur while you are away.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
