Winterized Cabin-Heat left on or off.

[eyeski]

Cabin is in northern WI and the water has been shut off, drained,etc..,what is your opinion as to whether the heat should be left on or shut off. I have heard arguments for both sides, and if left on what temperature...Appreciate the comments... Thanks

[Goldpig]

If properly winterized, and not used, why not shut her down? In my opinion, there is simply no reason to pay for a heating bill if your not using it. And, other than the pain of closing it, what reasons have your heard for keeping it open? My family has been closing down the cabin at the end of January or early February since we have owned it. I just can't see any reason to leave it open.

[Captain Jay]

I close our cottage on the lake down every year in November, and then shut the heat down for the winter. We just have a small wall mounted furnace and a fireplace, so even if we get there in the winter, it only take an hour or less to heat it back up again. I wouldn't want to see the heating bill to keep that place warm in the winter.

Captain Jay

[Pitts]

eyeski be sure and dump RV antifreeze in all the drains to displace the water in the traps and shut off the toilets and flush the tank of water out then add anti freeze to the bowl until you think you have a 50/50 mixture so the bowl does not freeze and break.
You will be fine shutting it down and will get used to which pipes break if you don't do a good job of draining down the water lines.


Pitts

[stevefellegy]

If this is an older cabin, that has been through several winters with the heat off, I guess I see no problem leaving it off. However, things do suffer over time with no heat on. First, you have a certain amount of shifting from the frost in the ground and the changing temps. Could be hard on sheet rock etc. Things like wallpaper, carpeting, and generally, the whole thing, because of changing temps and condensation forming from time to time, do age over years, faster, with the heat off.
It is usually best,if you do heat it, if available , to have a neighbor check on things. A thermometer, visible from outside, works great. Or, there are systems that turn a light on or off at a certain temp, warning of trouble from a distance, by a neighbor.
There doesn't seem to be a noticable difference in the heat bill from 40 to 50 degrees thermostat setting regarding fuel consumption.
And it is nice to walk into SOME heat when you get there. The walls
etc. don't take as long to warm up, therefore, saving some fuel.
Just make sure the pump is OFF, unplugged etc., when you leave...just in case.

[spooled]

If the place is "winterized" it is alright to shut it down. If you have year round neighbors up there that you trust, give them a key and let them know when you are heading up and have them turn on the heat for you. One problem that could arise from shutting the cabin down is that the rapid temperature change can hurt some things. I know that some synthetic flooring (pergo) might have a problem if the temp goes from -10 to 70 in a couple of hours. (rapid expansion) I think most "natural" things don't have a problem with the extreme temp change.

[StoneyPointeTom]

I keep my heat on all winter. I set the temp on 40. I typically go to my place every 2 to 4 weeks throughout the winter. I tried the first year I had it to turn the heat off after every visit. Problem was the cabin is built on a concrete slab which is typical for the area. By the time the floor got warm enough so your feet did not ache it was time to close it up and head back home. Now when I get there I just crank the temp over to 70 and within in an hour or so its comfortable and the floor is not froozen. If I was not going to frequent the cabin throughout the winter I would leave the heat off and close everything down.

My place is in the Glennie Michigan area. I have been averaging about 500 gallons of propane per 12 months for the last few years. So it does cost some money to keep the heat on while your not there.

[eyeski]

Thanks for all the replies, the debate continues....I've heard from people of their walls shifting, plaster cracking and antique furniture cracking especially when the cabin isn't well insulated. I've
also heard from people with older cabins who haven't had any problems at all. I would think alot of factors come into play that would be hard to evaluate..eg fill around foundation.etc...I think this would be a case
of if I shut the heat off and something happens I would regret it. Thanks again