By Gail Marsh
Most RVers can’t wait to get out on the open road. Thieves can’t wait for you to leave home, either! It’s estimated that a home burglary occurs every 18 seconds in the United States. That’s an alarming number! But thieves aren’t your only worry. What if a water leak develops? Or the HVAC system malfunctions and causes a fire? Here are a few tips for protecting your home while you’re gone RVing.
DIY high-tech tips to protect your home
Many remarkable technological advances in home protection have occurred over the past few years. Of course, you can hire a professionally installed security system with 24/7 monitoring, but great DIY products are on the market, too. The good news is that the cost of DIY high-tech protection has come down in price. Here’s just a sampling of high-tech protection for you to consider.
• Smart alarms. This is the one we have. It monitors our home for smoke and carbon monoxide. A remote notification will appear on our phones if there is a problem. Check Amazon for many other options. You can also purchase smart products that will alert you by email or phone if a water leak is detected in your home. Knowing that you have a problem enables you to alert authorities or a trusted neighbor to check things out for you.
• Smart plugs. We bought several of these to attach to various lights and appliances throughout our home. You can set a timer to automatically turn on/off lights, radio/TVs, fans, and more, or control the settings with your cell phone. If a potential thief is “casing” your home, it will appear as if someone is inside, using the lights, TV, and more—especially if the plugs react randomly.
• Interior cameras. Several interior camera features include recording capability, motion detection, night vision, two-way audio, and connectivity to your cell phone. All will offer you peace of mind while away from home.
• Exterior cameras. Weather-resistant outdoor cameras come in a variety of makes and models. Even less expensive models feature motion detection, full-color night vision, sirens, and more. Most have cell phone monitoring, as well.
• Smart door locks. These products are a little pricier but do provide many perks along with deadbolt protection. For example, some smart door locks work off an app that you can use to set and change codes whenever someone needs access to your home. (Like the gal who comes once a week to water indoor plants.) Other smart lock models “ping” your cell phone when motion is detected, and some allow for two-way communication.
Low-tech tips
You don’t necessarily need to be a “techie” in order to keep your home safe while RVing. There are many non-tech tips that work, too.
• Trusted neighbor. Ask a neighbor to check on your home periodically, especially to check the sides and back of the house. (A thief will usually enter a home in the spot least visible from the street.) Invite the neighbor to park a car in your driveway, to give the appearance that someone is home, too. I’m sure they’ll be happy to help you protect your home while you’re gone.
• Lawn care. Ask someone to mow your yard, rake leaves, shovel snow, etc., while you’re away. Do everything you can to give the impression that someone is home.
• Lock it up. Make sure ladders, tools, etc., are locked securely inside the garage or house. (You don’t want to make things easier for a would-be thief.) Lock your large garage door(s) by disabling the remote door opener if you have one. If your garage has a side or back door to the outside, be sure it’s also securely locked.
Double-check all windows and doors in your home to make sure they are also locked. (Double-cylinder deadbolts are highly recommended by security experts.) If you have sentimental or expensive items that you won’t be taking with you, make sure to store them in a bank lock box or home safe. And don’t forget to secure the doggie door or other pet entrance into your home. Some thieves are adept at contortion-like maneuvers when highly motivated. If you have a fenced yard, be sure to lock the gate(s).
• Stop deliveries. Stop all mail, UPS, newspaper, or other home delivery for the time you’ll be away from your home. Ask a trusted neighbor to pull any fliers left at your door (like political pamphlets) or on your lawn (from a lawn care provider).
• Don’t announce your plans. Do not post your vacation plans on social media. It’s a good idea not to broadcast your plans except for people who need to know.
• Remove your “hidden” key. Many folks keep an extra house key in a potted plant, fake rock, or (please say it isn’t so) under the welcome mat. (Yipes!) If you plan to be away, it’s best to bring that “hidden key” inside the house. Maybe forever.
• Clean the keypad. Dingy fingerprints on your coded entry system can be a dead giveaway to a burglar. Clean it off just to be safe.
• Protect electronics. Unplug the computer, TVs (except if set on a timer), and other appliances or make sure they are safely connected to a surge protector.
• Turn water off. We always have the city turn off our water while we’re gone. It not only saves us money, but it ensures that no water leaks or burst pipes will cause damage. When we get home we’ll ask the city to turn the water back on. That way, we’re home to see (or hear) any leaks that may occur when the water pressure surges back through the pipes.
What are some additional steps you take to protect your home while RVing? Share your tips in the comments below.
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RVT1262
I found that our friends from Florida are happy to housesit our home in Northern California in the summer! And we visit them in the winter.
All good ideas except the tv. How do you get the tv to turn on? Just applying power from a timer will not turn it on. You need to press the power button on the the TV or use the remote.
Just tried mine. Unplugged and plugged in. Nothing!
As far as light timers, don’t forget to put one in the bathroom to come on a few times during the night.
Ours come on at random to simulate someone walking through the house. Even basement lights.
“Scare lights” outside. Motion detection lights, either solar or hard wired.
We also have our neighbors son park his car in our driveway while we’re gone.
We have many of them. But also think about redundancy. The battery was failing on our Nest thermostat. We lost remote viewing and control. The unit is smart enough to cut the power drain and concentrate on running the HVAC. But we had a redneck redundancy. One of those cheap wi-fi cameras had the sole job of looking at our indoor/outdoor thermometer. So long as we knew the house temp was good, it waited for our return to replace the battery in our Nest.
Comment
I turn off the water and also turn off the water heater; easy with an electric water heater, more complicated for gas water heaters. Don’t do the gas water heaters if you are not familiar with proper off and on procedures.
We turn off circuit breakers for the electric dryer, washer, microwave and electric heat; to prevent any power surge damage if there are severe storms while we are gone.
We have a water softener which I place in bypass mode and turn off.
We have multiple interior and external cams which send notifications of people and other items.
We also do many of the other suggestions in the article.
Best thing is good neighbors that keep an eye on your house.
In addition to almost all of the suggestion mentioned, we also
Turn off the electric hot water heater. Unplug the TV, computers, printers, microwave, washer, dryer in case of a strong lightning storm. Turn the thermostat up to 88 degrees (we live in FL). Verify that the propane tank for the grill/generator is turned off.
Our natural gas hot water heater has a Vacation Mode which makes it nice. Also, since we have a pool and with the hot Texas weather, we have a pool levelizer that keeps it at its perfect pool level. Thus we cannot turn off the H20. We did install a Moen leak detector which will shut off the H20 to the home, but keep the sprinkler H20 system running. With the Moen app, it will alert us and we can get a neighbor to check things out for us.