I want to turn the heat off in my house in the winter while I'am in Florida.?

Question

I live in Michigan and my house is 45 years old and has plastered walls and people have been telling me that the walls will crack,the hardwood floors might buckle and the furniture could fall apart. Some people tell me if I winterize it everything should be ok. I'm confused! Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

You will have all the problems you mentioned. Pipes will freeze unless winterized. Worse problem will be the humidity. This will cause the buckling in floors and furniture to swell and loosen joints. I would set the funace at the lowest setting and turn off the water supply (to avoid a possible leak) and winterize the traps in drainlines. You may want to drain the water heater and turn off the power (electric or gas) to it.

Answer 2

I live in Michigan too, it probably is not a good idea to turn your heat off. The best thing would be to turn it way down to possibly 55 or 60, but you do not want to risk your pipes freezing and bursting. Not to mention anything else that you might happen. Good luck!

Answer 3

you can winterize to keep the plumbing from freezing, but that's not the only concern. you would be better off just turning the heat back to , say forty degrees. by leaving the house un heated, you allow condensation to form between the exterior walls and anywhere else that the sun hits. the constantly changing temperatures will cause condensation to form and eventually lead to other problems, like peeling paint and mold.

Answer 4

That's true. You will also have busted pipes to deal with. Just turn the heat down to 40-45 and everything should be okay.

Answer 5

You need to keep the heat at a very low setting so your pipes don't freeze. Sorry, but that is the way it is. But why worry now, it be Spring, now?