Monitoring home during winter for power, heat and moisture

[cunninghorgan]

Hi all - we are heading into our first winter with the lake house which is a year round house. Planning on going up on the weekends but looking for suggestions on products folks are using to monitor the home during the winter months. Preferably would like a single solution that can do video, monitor for temp dropping below a certain level and moisture. Would like it to notify us if something goes wrong - including potentially a power outage. Not sure if there's a single product that can do all that - any suggestions on options would be greatly appreciated! Lots of options on the market but hard to know what's good and what's not. Thanks in advance!

[MeredithMan]

....folks that will do weekly house checks for you. We use a reputable local cleaning company that does weekly winter house checks on the side. Negligible cost. They walk through the house, run faucets, flush toilets, bring in mail, etc.

[DesertDweller]

We also have someone that checks our house periodically but we also use this:

http://www.controlproductsonline.com/intermediate-freezealarm-p-17-l-en.html

You set it at a temperature and then it calls you if it dips below that temperature. It also calls you if the power goes out. Doesn't have any kind of moisture detection but I think they may have a model that has something along those lines. For a couple of hundred bucks it's good peace of mind.

[Phantom]

if you have WiFi and you in fact plan on being up on weekends throughout the winter ......

We simply use a NEST Cam, acts as a low end security system (alerts you to movements) and we point it at a thermometer left on a countertop.

$200 for the unit and $10/month for 7 day recording archive.

Truly simple to install !

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[AmantiDelLago]

if you have WiFi and you in fact plan on being up on weekends throughout the winter ......

We simply use a NEST Cam, acts as a low end security system (alerts you to movements) and we point it at a thermometer left on a countertop.

$200 for the unit and $10/month for 7 day recording archive.

Truly simple to install !

.
Add a nest thermostat and you can have it toasty warm when you get there. Also when a storm is coming you can boost the heat up in case of a likely power outage. Some power companies have rebates for WiFi thermostats.

[ishoot308]

I use a Honeywell red link system at both my main home and island camp. It works very well and you can remotely control and monitor your thermostat as long as you have a wifi signal.

I have heard good things as well about the Nest thermostats. I do use the Nestcam / Dropcam at the camp to monitor my boat docks and they are ridiculously easy to use, even for me!! :D

Dan

[TriDad]

I use Simplisafe. Easy to self-install. Monitors for temp, water, smoke and security. I like it because it doesn't require a land line or WiFi. It connects via its own internal cellular chip. It doesn't allow me to change the temp. For that I use Nest. I also use a cheap (lt $100) set of wifi cameras focused on a few key things in the house; sump pump, water shutoff valve, furnace panel.

http://simplisafe.com/home-protection

[cunninghorgan]

I use Simplisafe. Easy to self-install. Monitors for temp, water, smoke and security. I like it because it doesn't require a land line or WiFi. It connects via its own internal cellular chip. It doesn't allow me to change the temp. For that I use Nest. I also use a cheap (lt $100) set of wifi cameras focused on a few key things in the house; sump pump, water shutoff valve, furnace panel.

http://simplisafe.com/home-protection

Thank you! We've been looking at SimpliSafe as an option. We don't need anything too fancy or with a large coverage range as our house is rather small. I didn't realize SimpliSafe used an internal chip. That's a game changer.

[camp guy]

In today's world of technology there is a device for any condition you want to monitor, it just depends on how extensive you want to get; but, nothing beats having a real live person walk around your home on a regular basis. MeredithMan is exactly right. Usually, if there is a problem, a housechecker can either take action and fix it, or, go to his (her) rolodex and get a trade on scene relatively quickly.

I would not discount such monitoring devices as low temperature alarms and security alarms, but I would also strongly urge you to have a person walk around, both inside and outside, and give you regular reports.

Do you have an emergency generator? Very good idea.

[joey2665]

I may be a little over board but better safe than sorry. I have low temp alarms incorporated with the security system. nest cameras and thermostat and I have the home checked once a week, twice when the temperature goes into the single digits.

My property manager charges about 750.00 for the season from 11/15 until 5/15

[jetlag100]

We have a company monitor our home, but I can also turn heat, alarms, etc...on/off with my phone...keep the house at 55 during the winter, and we also have water tabs on the basement floor, that will alert our alarm co. if water is present...We have a Samsung camera system to monitor the inside...I love that! I can go online and look in the house for any disturbances...We use an answering machine to figure out if the power is out (don't want to run out of propane if it's on generator)...if the answering machine answers, there's power...works very well for us :coolsm:

[DickR]

Ditto on the FreezeAlarm to notify you of a power or heating system failure that leaves the interior temperature falling. Assuming you could get up in timely fashion to respond to get up there and take appropriate action, that might be your only really needed protection. When the weather gets really bitter, you can always call it and read out status of power, interior temperature, etc., for peace of mind.

For real peace of mind, a standby generator, fueled by propane, would take care of extended outages midweek, as well as give you convenience when the power goes out while you are up there.

[tummyman]

We've used the Freeze Alarm for over 10 years with no issues at all (got ours at a discount from NHEC). It has saved us a few times with long power outages. Just need to have a phone line available. If phone is out, chances are the power is out as well. In addition, my oil tank is in a dark crawl space. Was stumped for a while as to how to monitor oil tank levels until I found a D-link camera with night vision. I have it set right on the oil tank gage and can easily call up the camera from anywhere in the world in an instant. The cameras are cheap and really work well. We have a Mitsubishi mini split heat system in addition to FHW baseboard. We can also monitor the temperature remotely with this system and can adjust heat levels depending on when we are visiting, etc. etc. Lots of ways to solve the issues. I think the Home Insp. services are okay, but checking once a week can leave a lot of holes. IMHO, they work best if you are a long way away...for us a trip is less than 2 hours to check if things look questionable.

[Joebon]

Just because it's a year round house doesn't mean you have to keep it going. Heating our house when we are not there is sometimes more expensive than having a plumber open and close it when we use it. Also, when it's shut down you don't have to worry about anything.


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[Phantom]

Hi all - we are heading into our first winter with the lake house which is a year round house. Planning on going up on the weekends but looking for suggestions on products folks are using to monitor the home during the winter months. !

All -- like we do .....cunninghorgan mentions in the first post that they will be up weekends ...... seems overkill to have some agency "walk the house"!

just wanted to bring this thread back online


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[RUGMAN]

we plan on visiting our cottage on the weekends, portal not every weekend. It will be our first winter up there. I might drain the system when i leave and turn on when I return, how about the toilets and drain traps, windshield fluid or RV antifreeze? . I can shut off water from outside and drain feed to meter. the line runs in crawl space as safety i plan on putting heat tape(wire) on pipe, cheap insurance. When I shut water off should I leave faucets open.

[mcdude]

I had a propane heater installed in the basement that does not need electricity to function. When the power goes out and the heat drops the propane heater kicks on. I considered a freeze alarm and/or a generator. Generator = $$$$. What good does a freeze alarm do when you are 100+ miles away and power is lost during a blizzard? Am I going to get in the car and drive through the blizzard to light the woodstove? (P.S. Don't forget to leave the basement door open when leaving!....and don't forget to shut off the water pump and hot water heater!)

[TheProfessor]

Had a neighbor with year round lake home.
Heated the first few years but thought heating it was a waste of money.
So he/they hired plumber to winterize home.
Then turned off heat.

Well, some of the sheetrock separated at seams in living room ceiling and kitchen. Had it repaired. Next year same thing. Sheet rock separated in winter cold. Had it repaired again. And this year, sheet rock is cracked again at seams. Maybe he/they didn't hire the right sheet rock person. I don't know.

Yes, he/they saved money on propane. But spent gads on repairs.