OT What would you do?

[BishopNsunset]

I park my 52 8N next to our old house on the same property as our new house.
My question is since the old place is not used should I keep it locked down tight or should I leave a few windows cracked or open so the place can breath?
If I seal it up it will begin to smell like an abandoned building.
I have been leaving it closed for about a year now but to me it's starting to smell musty and I'm afraid the smell will stick. It's still furnished with everything one might need.
We live in South Louisiana 30 miles from the gulf. Hot, humid, and moist, but I love it. Misquito heaven but they leave me alone. It must be my O-Negitive blood.

 

[Upper Peninsula, Mi]

I guess if it were my old house and I wanted to preserve it like it sounds you do, if it has some type of airconditioning connect it to a dehumidifier guage that could turn on the airconditioning whenever the humidity got high. Better yet in your climate install enough dehumidity units to keep it down to a manageable level that will not damage the home and contents. Once that musty odor gets in it's difficult to get rid of, if not impossible. By the way I love your place on earth. Several years back I spent 6 months down your way setting up the State Lottery. Enjoyed the people immensly, the food was out of this world, weather tolerable after a while and the music fantastic. Good luck. Ron

 

[Mike S]

I would leave the windows cracked and put a fan in one of them to move air thru the house, esp during these hot and muggy months coming up. You want to make sure that mildew does not form. If you don"t plan on using the house at all, you should follow winterizing guidelines and drain the system and the toilet tanks, etc.

 

[Mark Pearce]

Bishop.
I'd crack a few windows in the summer but for only short periods like a week out of four or five. In the winter I'd shut it up completly. Put mice poison out and moth ball the place. In the winter everything wants to come in and get warm. I have always heard though that a house will go to the birds if no-one is living in it. If you have old cast iron pipes pour some kinda oil in the drains to keep the cast from rusting out. I learned the hard way about rusted out cast iron pipes that had dried out and rusted from the inside. I have a place South Lake Charles, La. and I totally forgot about the Pee traps drying out and sewer smells coming up that way. Once a month now I pour some water in all the drains so the Pee traps will work as designed. I hope to rent it soon or use it as a weekend place to relax. My Mom is a mothball nut case and puts those things everywhere, even outside in the flower beds. She goes overboard with the moth balls but after a day or so with some ventilation the moth ball smell clears right out.


Mark....

 

[Ultradog MN]

I'd keep a few windows open and keep it from getting musty.
And if you want it to make you a nickel, rent it out to one of us Minnesota snowbirds by the year.
You'd only have to have us around in the winter. Snow birds would make do with less than they have at home. A place with a tractor on it would be a lot more interesting than some foul condo somewhere.

 

[Crem]

I heard that some people put a dehumidifier in the kitchen sink while they away. That way they can control the humidity and it has it's own drain. Maybe combine this with some small fans in key areas that are on timers to run once in awhile.

 

[Peter, Covington, LA]

I agree with the post about a dehumidifier. Get one from Wally World or Grainger, and set it on the counter next to the kitchen sink. Bypass its built-in storage tank, and dribble the water directly into the sink. Leave all interior doors open; humidity will travel from room to room if it has a way, so one unit can do the whole house.

If you leave the electricity on to the house when you're not there, which most folks do to keep the fridge running, there is a minimum monthly charge and the dehumidifier will add only pennies a month.