Snowbird checklist: closing and opening your Florida home

Before you leave for the summer

These tips come from the University of Florida’s guide to closing a seasonal home.

• Leave the AC on, set no higher than 85°F. Any warmer and the humidity inside climbs past 55% to 60%, which is when mold and bacteria start to grow.
• Turn off the water at the meter outside, unless it also feeds your sprinklers. A burst pipe in an empty house can flood it for weeks.
• Turn off the water heater if you’ll be gone more than a month. For shorter trips, set it to the lowest setting.
• Empty the fridge of anything that spoils, and leave a bag of ice cubes in the freezer. If you come back to one solid block of ice, the power went out while you were away.
• Cover the toilets with plastic wrap and put stoppers in the drains, to keep sewer smells and bugs out.
• Make a storm plan. Arrange for someone to put up the shutters and bring things inside if a hurricane heads your way. The season runs until November 30.
• Find someone you trust to check on the house regularly, and have your mail picked up or forwarded.

When you’re back: ten checks before you unpack

1. Run the AC for an hour. Weak airflow or a musty smell? Have it checked before it gets worse.
2. Look for mold in closets, under the sinks, behind furniture and around the AC vents. Here’s where mold hides and what to do.
3. Run every faucet and flush every toilet to clear the pipes, and look for drips.
4. Look for pests. Droppings, ant trails or termite wings near the windows mean it’s time to call a pro.
5. Check the pool: the water level, the color and the pump. Green water needs help fast.
6. Look up. Stains on the ceiling can mean a roof leak from the summer storms.
7. Test the appliances: fridge, washer and dryer. Clean the dryer vent before the first load.
8. Check the locks, the sliding doors, the windows and the garage door opener.
9. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test smoke alarms every month and replace the whole alarm every 10 years.
10. Walk the yard: sprinklers, overgrown trees and anything that could fly around in a storm.

Sources

1. UF/IFAS Extension: closing your seasonal home
2. U.S. Fire Administration: smoke alarms
3. U.S. EPA: a brief guide to mold, moisture and your home

This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules change, so check the sources and ask a licensed pro about your home.