Leaving condo, maintenance questions

[jadee]

Hi, I'd live some advice from anyone who has left a condo unlived-in for a period of time. I'd like to know what precautions you took with things like the washing machine or air conditioners.
My situation is that I bought a condo to live in but am now going to have it as a kind of 'holiday home'. I'd appreciate any advice about things to look out for. I don't want to come back after six months to find the AC is broken, cockroaches have taken over etc.
Many thanks in advice for any help or suggestions!

[cryo]

Hi Jadee I leave my condo for six month periods on a regular basis the rules to follow are the general empty house rules. Leave no food that will attract insects but leave some tinned food and bottled water for your return (may be unsocial hours). Leave a few thousand baht it saves you requiring instant access money on your return. Elec and water supply off. Its likely your toilet will dry up leaving a path for all kinds of insects to access your condo from sewer/cess pit so cling film toilet and make sure you flush the toilet upon your return before removing the cling film. Its also wise to cling film the toilet cistern as mossie or similar eggs will be in the water and will hatch and breed. I put a few mothballs down in cupboards to deter insects. As you can see insects are the main problem. I would also inform the condo security and bung than a few baht to keep an eye on your room although a locked condo is generally pretty safe due to lots of eyes about. Pay condo bills a bit in advance in case you get your return delayed by a few months and I pay elec with direct debit which covers standing charges. I also make sure I have a current thai sim card for my return (all tel company will extend sim for a small charge) Make crossoff list and use every time it saves you thinking have i done everything one hour after you leave the condo. Also remember you have clingfilmed the toilet if you are caught short on your return :-)

I think I've covered the main points.

Ken.

[cryo]

I also put a blue loo in the toilet cistern one day before I leave to make the water less than suitable for insects I put it in one day in advance as some makes take some time to start to dissolve.

Ken.

[bankruatsteve]

Put a towel between door and fridge/freezer so they won't close (after cleaning).

[tolsti]

Leave cupboards and closets open unless they have a vent.

[dorayme]

I leave a key with a trusted friend and advise the condo management that he has a key.

They check it for me periodically.

[Bruce404]

Be sure to close the wall valve on the sprayer for intimate anatomy at the toilet/WC, as otherwise the PVC tubing inside is subject to all the pressures and their variations of the plumbing-supply system.

In fact, such devices violate plumbing codes in the USA and probably some other countries, because when they inevitably spring a leak, hundreds or thousands of liters can go down the drain, or flood an un-drained bathroom and elsewhere in the dwelling, before the leak eventually gets discovered hours, days, weeks, or months later.

For similar reasons, this is why it is recommended to replace every few years the rubber tubing connecting to washing machines, which are always at system pressures unless owners remember to close the wall valves after every use, which is inconvenient and easily forgotten.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Bruce404

[8OA8]

If you have the time available, I suggest that you wrap furniture in clingfilm, get the industrial size roll from Thaiwatsadu. Reason for suggesting this is I've arrived back into Bangkok from a two month vacation only to find the condo beside mine has been undergoing a major renovation and my place covered by the dust that manages to make its way through seemingly perfectly well sealed wall's and doors.

Keep the key with you, as my having arrived into Phuket many years ago and rented a very nice condo for a few days and finding it to be fully stocked with booze, wardrobes full of clothes and international calling foc. I learnt a year later that the foreign owner never knew the travel agent lady was renting out his place.

[8OA8]

Be sure to close the wall valve on the sprayer for intimate anatomy at the toilet/WC, as otherwise the PVC tubing inside is subject to all the pressures and their variations of the plumbing-supply system.

In fact, such devices violate plumbing codes in the USA and probably some other countries, because when they inevitably spring a leak, hundreds or thousands of liters can go down the drain, or flood an un-drained bathroom and elsewhere in the dwelling, before the leak eventually gets discovered hours, days, weeks, or months later.

For similar reasons, this is why it is recommended to replace every few years the rubber tubing connecting to washing machines, which are always at system pressures unless owners remember to close the wall valves after every use, which is inconvenient and easily forgotten.

Thanks for the tip on the washing machine feed pipe

[mike324]

Most important tip is to turn the water off! Very common for pipes or hoses to become loose and flood the apartment.

[Dogbarker]

Hello ,

I regularly leave my condo and my house here in Thailand closed up for several months in the rainy season. For all drains try getting a small thick plastic bag 6 inches or so , fill with sand and leave over the shower drain / floor drains. That will cut out insects coming in plus help eliminate smells. Try and keep a window in the toilet open if secure , with mossie screen to keep all vented.

Turn off water at the mains and then flush the toilets. - the header tank in the toilet will stay empty!

like the cling film idea .. i susually seal my loo with tape and plastic

Ensure a quality pest control company comes and sprays internally around the rooms. - see if you can get this done again while you are away

be aware there will be some duct and gecko mess so a good deep clean if you can arrange it would be good.

I leave my wifi connected with the ISP .. but no electricity - consider cost option and headache of trying to get it suspended then reactivated. and if you decide to come back in an emergency or friends want to stay etc .

It is likely that any light coloured clothing will become discoloured .. use haier washing bleach when you return to try and restore colour .. try to leave things ventilated .. we have tried sealing and vent - venting usually is best .

dust covers over all furniture .

switch off electricity .. PAY the bills by direct debit if possible!!.

tip the guard , inform the juristic manager , tell them the condo is not to used by anyone without your permission . inform cleaning any cleaning staff your condo is not a local repository for plastic bottles for recycling!

consider paying a management company if you have no mate to check on it . Remember a management company is paid to do it - a friend excuse like he did not have time got drunk lost keys girlfriend checked it etc. is not good. Confirm with your girlfriend wife or anyone else that you do not give permission to cousins aunts and uncles to use it as it is your home and private and you may return without notice!!!!

the other suggestions you have seen are great too .. certainly no food even in sealed containers...

good luck

[wombat]

put a tg in it so she can rent the floor space to her girlfriends in between customers....win win for every one.

[Suradit69]

Leave cupboards and closets open unless they have a vent.

Yes. Best to take clothing, bedding etc out of drawers and closets where there'll be at least a little air flow and anything left it the closets is not packed too closely together. When I used to use mine as a holiday home and leave it empty for a few months, anything packed away would have to be freshly laundered since it would develop a musty smell.

[jadee]

A huge thank you to everyone who replied, There's so much great advice here, so much I didn't even consider. I'm going to copy/paste all of this into a Word document to make a check list.
Thanks again

[Bruce404]

Here's a followup suggestion regarding water supply.

If you do not have access to the main water shutoff, then in addition to closing the wall valve to the hand-held toilet/WC sprayer, also close the wall valve to the toilet cistern/tank. It, too, often contains flexible PVC or rubber tubing inside. Although with more longevity than the hand sprayer, as it is rarely flexed, it, too, can spring an untimely leak. Once the toilet supply is closed, flushing the tank/cistern (as someone suggested above) can remove most of its water, and the top left off to hasten evaporation of what remains.

I never thought about using plastic wrap to seal off the top of the toilet bowl to reduce evaporation (as also suggested above). But this is unlikely to keep the water in place and the trap sealed over several weeks or months, as evaporation will continue to occur at the "downstream" end of the trap, inaccessibly inside the toilet.

A better idea (that I have yet to try for an extended absence) might be to remove as much of the remaining water in the bowl. Then, using multiple plastic bags within one another, stuff the inner one with old rags and push it into the bowl as tightly as possible to seal the opening, leaving the bag straps accessible to remove the plug upon return to the apartment.

Any remaining water in the bowl will evaporate from one end or the other. But if tight enough, the rag/plastic-bag plug should keep insectivorous and mammalian critters and sewer gases from entering the apartment through a dry and thus unsealed toilet trap.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Bruce404

[ozyjon]

I have a timer connected to a light in the

lounge room, turns on at 6pm and off at

11pm,, when i returned after 6 months

away i said hello to a neighbour, that i

had just arrived, he was surprised as he

didn't know i was gone, saw the light on

thought i was home.

[MauiSteveBKK]

Absolutely .....

+ Leave a light on a timer. This is a must!

+ Motion Detector Dog Sound -- Or On A Timer.

+ If can, leave a small amount of light into the condo. Maybe not pull drapes all the way closed.

+ As mentioned, moth balls in drawers, closets (also open).

+ I cling wrap (Saran Wrap) everything!

Great Ideas Here.

[LawrenceN]

We always ask the guards to turn off the water and electricity to our condo on the way out. We had a fixture that broke, rusted through, while we were away a couple of years back. The water caused damage and inconvenience to residents living below, and damaged our laminate floor. Just takes a moment for the guards to turn it back on when we arrive, usually before we get off the elevator on the 8th floor.

[cryo]

Hi all the cling film will not prevent the toilet trap drying out but will delay it doing so for a few months but its main duty is to prevent initially the toilet becoming a mossie breeding pool and then when the trap dries up its secondary job is to block access to in secs from the sewer/cess pit. I also place a few mothballs down the toilet before sealing the pan and crush some mothballs up and put down plugholes/drains. The last thing I do before leaving the find is look at the checkoff list and then bug spray cupboards/wardrobe's and then all rooms before locking up. I think most of the issus/ideas here would make a good sticky with a printable list for checkoff.

Ken.

[arunsakda]

Good ideas covered already. I work outside Thailand and I have been leaving condo unattended for 6 weeks to a few months at a time like this for years. Chiang Mai is actually a pretty dry environment, The only problems I had was with windows leaking and dust. Almost no dust since I got new polymer frame double pane windows but when other units on my floor are getting renovated it comes under the door.

Use a garbage bag to cover wall fan and A/C diffuser.

Remove batteries from remotes and store in a way that leaks will not damage anything.

A few tins of beer waiting to be chilled in case of a dry day..

Drape garbage bags/tape over refrigerator to keep dust out (doors partially open) Leave doors blocked open with some cut kitchen paper roll cores/tape to ensure complete drying. The one time I didn't I got some mold. I never messed with cling film on the toilet, perhaps I should. No issues with bugs but our condo building gets smogged outside monthly with toxic who knows what. I stay away those afternoons.

Edited November 3, 2015 by arunsakda

[cryo]

Hi I find if you use modern ready to go rechargeable batteries in the remotes and clocks they are far better built and do not degrade/leak over time. I already leave beer and a container of water for my first cup of tea upon arrival but a very good point that I forgot to add :-)

Ken.

[MyFriend You]

I also put a blue loo in the toilet cistern one day before I leave to make the water less than suitable for insects I put it in one day in advance as some makes take some time to start to dissolve.

Ken.

Hmmm I did that and it left a permanent blue ring stain around the inside of the toilet, I finnally used a electric drill and wire brush to get it clean - I must have bought the industrial strength, Nana Plaza Urinal blue tabs.

[arunsakda]

Could a cup of bleach be used?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hhgz]

If you mean forthe toilet bowl to keep insects at bay? Yes, that's I've used. Too, rather than cling film, I've used sheets - as in bedding. When I return home, I simply wash the sheets. Let me tell you, tossing a sheet over the sofa is a lot cheaper and easier than using cling film.

[arunsakda]

I strip the sheets off, thinking it is better to "air out" the mattress, which I cover loosely with an old bedspread.

Pillows and comforters stored in closets.

A market in Chiang Mai sells bolts of fabric.

A bought some muslin and cut to size to make dust covers for my furniture and electronics.

[jadee]

Another question I have is about the air conditioners. I have wall units connected to compressors outside. What happens to those when you don't use them for a few months? Does the refrigerant dry out? Are there any precautions to take to prevent that or minimize damage?
Thanks

[tolsti]

The refrigerant doesn't 'dry out' however if you have a leak (and most do leak albeit slightly) then the amount will be less. When you get back just get a man around to clean the unit (should do it twice or three times a year anyway) and they will check the pressure and top up as necessary.

[wpcoe]

Do any seals or motor parts suffer from lack of lubrication if the air con is idle for months at a time? I know I've read that dishwashers need to be run every couple weeks to keep seals from leaking ... any parallel problem with air cons?

[tolsti]

Will ask my technicians and get back to you,

[arunsakda]

Strange occurrence. I just came back after 6 weeks to find a puddle of clear sticky goo and sugar crystals under my fridge door.Which was left cracked open as usual with power off. A can of "Sprite" in the door compartment leaked somehow. There were sugar crystals on the bottom of the can, still about one quarter full.

And strangely when I cracked the tab it was still under partial pressure. Must have been a very tiny hole that self sealed with the sticky sap.

No sign of insects and cleaned up with soap and warm water. I have left canned drinks and Bottle Water like this for years with no issues. Not something I want to deal with again.

Edited January 2, 2016 by arunsakda