What do you do before leaving a home for the season?
Updated August 2026
Leaving a house empty for months comes down to water off and a 55°F heat hold, or a full plumbing drain-down if you would rather not heat an empty house. Add leak sensors by the heater and washer, arrange a check-in every 1 to 2 weeks, hold the mail, and call your insurer, because many policies limit coverage once a home sits vacant past 30 to 60 days. Undetected leaks are the number-one loss in seasonally empty homes, and months of unnoticed water is how a small drip becomes a gut renovation.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Shut off the main water supply | Before you leave | 2 min · DIY |
| Drain the lines and water heater, or keep heat on | Before you leave | 1–2 hr · DIY |
| Pour RV antifreeze in traps and toilets if draining | If draining | 20 min · DIY |
| Place leak sensors by the heater, washer, and sinks | Before you leave | $20–50 each |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Hold heat at 55°F, or cooling and humidity at 80–85°F | Before you leave | 2 min · DIY |
| Run a dehumidifier or AC humidity hold in damp climates | Before you leave | varies |
| Turn the water heater to Vacation or off | Before you leave | 2 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Arrange a check-in every 1–2 weeks | 1 month ahead | schedule |
| Hold or forward the mail and stop deliveries | 1–2 weeks ahead | 10 min · DIY |
| Notify your insurer of the 30–60 day vacancy limit | Before you leave | 15 min |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Unplug electronics; leave fridge, sump, and security on | Before you leave | 10 min · DIY |
| Seal gaps, remove food, and set traps | Before you leave | 30 min · DIY |
What neglect costs
The trap unique to seasonally empty homes is time: a drip that would be a rag at home runs for weeks with nobody there, so mold and rot compound before anyone notices. A burst pipe in an unheated house can release hundreds of gallons an hour, and cleanup on a months-old leak routinely tops $15,000 to 50,000. Worse, many homeowner policies cut or void coverage once a house is vacant past 30 to 60 days, so the bill can land entirely on you. Water off plus a documented check-in schedule is the cheap insurance.
Leave these to a pro
If you would rather not gamble on holding heat all season, a plumber will do a full drain-down and antifreeze the traps for about $150 to 300, and reverse it in spring for similar. A property-watch service, roughly $50 to 100 per visit on a set schedule, satisfies many insurers' reasonable-care requirement and catches trouble early. Ask your carrier about a vacancy endorsement before you leave; it is far cheaper than a denied claim. In cold country this overlaps heavily with a full winterizing routine.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
Should I leave the heat on or drain the pipes when I leave for the winter?
It is a trade-off. Holding the thermostat at 55°F keeps the plumbing charged and the house normal, but you pay to heat an empty home and you are betting the furnace never quits. Draining the system, water heater included, and adding antifreeze to the traps removes all freeze and leak risk, at the cost of a spring re-start. In hard-freeze country, many owners drain; in milder climates, a 55°F hold with leak sensors is common.
Will my insurance cover a leak while the house sits empty for months?
Maybe not. Many homeowner policies contain a vacancy or unoccupancy clause that reduces or voids coverage once a home is empty beyond a set window, often 30 to 60 days. Call your carrier before you leave, ask about a vacancy endorsement, and document reasonable care: water shut off, a scheduled check-in, and leak sensors in place. That paper trail is what turns a denied claim into a paid one.
How often should someone check on a seasonally empty house?
Every one to two weeks is a sensible cadence, and some insurers require a documented check for coverage to hold. A visitor can catch a slow leak, a dead furnace before the pipes freeze, a tripped breaker, or signs of pests while each is still small. Give them your shutoff locations, a spare key, and your number, and ask them to run water briefly so the traps do not dry out.
What should I do about the refrigerator when I leave for the season?
For a months-long absence, empty it, clean it, and either unplug it with the doors propped open and a box of baking soda inside, or leave it running if you want ice and a cold space on arrival. Propping the doors prevents the musty mold smell that a sealed, warm fridge grows. If you unplug it, also turn off the ice maker's water line so it cannot leak.