Question by Last_exit_before_toll:
I live in the NE. What is the ideal energy saving temperature to set on the thermostat when no one home in a mo?
I’ve been asked to home sit for about 6 months. This would mean leaving my mobile home unoccupied. What temp should I leave the thermostat on to keep pipes from freezing?


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Answer by sensible_man
Assuming you have good insulation and skirting, I would recommend 60 degrees. If you are not going to be there for 6 months, I would drain the water system, use anti-freeze in the fixture traps and close it up for the time. This is especially true if the home sitting does not grant you to make trips to your own home for long periods.

Answer by Hydroace
To expand on what sensible_man wrote, when you drain the water system, make sure you get it all. If you are on city water, turn off the water at the service entrance (your water department might help with this), if you are on a well turn off power to the pump and drain the pressure tank. Turn off your hot water tank so it remains cold, then drain the water from it.Open the hot and cold faucets in the home and let them drain back through the hot water tank (you left the drain open, right?); open the lowest spigot in the to grant water to drain out of the cold water supply lines.
If you have a water softener, the huge tank with salt in it should be OK, but you might want to disconnect the resin tank (the tall, skinny tank) and drain it. Remove any cartridge filter in the supply line and drain it before reassembling it. Try to make sure you get the water drained out of all the plumbing systems – even the any dehumidifier reservoirs or humidifiers, decorative fountains, etc. Flush the toilets and make sure the holding tanks are empty. Go to an RV supply home (= Recreational Vehicle) and get some anti-freeze to put in the plumbing traps – your toilet(s), kitchen sink, lavatory sink(s), and laundry room sink all have traps in them.
Now close the drain to the hot water tank, and turn the thermostat off. If you are gone from the home for 6 months, something as easy as a power outage might knock your furnace out, and it might not restart even when the power comes back on. You will save a bit more money without heat, and your trailer will be truly winterized. Good luck with it.

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