Unoccupied House Maintenance

[homeowner0001]

Long story short, I inherited a house back in 2021 with some water damage, the floor is sunken in a few spots and a leak behind the refrigerator. The floor has been dried out with fans and the water lines have been blown out with an air compressor. At the time of writing this the house has no other damage and the power has been shut off. The house itself is a double wide (55x30) built in 1998 and is located in the mid-west. The house also has a new metal roof that was installed in 2018. I currently do not have a lot of money, but I am job hunting with a CS degree with no luck so far. My plan is once I get a decent paying job to clean out that house repair the house and move in. My question is that is there anything else I need to be aware of?

Here is a check list of what I have been doing

• Mowing lawn at least once a month
• Installed cellular solar cameras (security)
• Installed solar motion lights (security)
• Installed solar motion alarms (security)
• Blew out water lines with air compressor (2021)
• Leave crawlspace vents/windows open during warmer months approximately May-October
• Close crawlspace vents/windows during colder months approximately November-April

What I plan on doing next year is installing solar fans for ventilation. Is there anything else that I am missing?

 

[JoeD]

The traps under the sinks and tubs and the toilet should be drained and filled with rv antifreeze. Only the toilet bowl needs antifreeze. The tank can be left empty.

 

[homeowner0001]

The traps under the sinks and tubs and the toilet should be drained and filled with rv antifreeze. Only the toilet bowl needs antifreeze. The tank can be left empty.

Thank you for the reply, I knew I was forgetting something. I will be doing that today. Does this need to be done every year or just once? Anything else that I am missing?

 

[bud16415]

When a toilet or drain with a trap is left sitting unused for long periods of time the water will evaporate and then you will get sewer gasses coming out. The antifreeze may help with that I have also seen people pour a little vegetable oil in and it floats to the top and slows down evaporation.



The old house we bought sat empty with no heat for two years and it IMO is not good to leave a house in northern climates unheated. I have always said if ours had gone another year I don’t know if it would have been worth saving. It is just molds and such that start working on an unheated building over time.



Move in as soon as you can even if you have to do some of the work after you are in.

 

[JoeD]

With no heat you need to get the water out of traps or they will freeze and crack.

 

[bud16415]

With no heat you need to get the water out of traps or they will freeze and crack.

If you drain traps make sure you cap or plug them.

 

[billshack]

check with your insurance company , most want some one to check every three days or the property is not covered

 

[homeowner0001]

I've been told to leave the faucets open to prevent pressure build up.

I'm also putting a couple damprid buckets to prevent mold, just to see if they work, and to get rid of the old house smell. They will be here soon.

I also put rv anti freeze, the pink gallon stuff, in all of the taps.

With my financial status right now it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years to moving in, the job recruitment process sucks. The house is fully paid for and the only thing I am paying is the property taxes and vacancy insurance.

Anything else I am missing to preserve the house?