From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel


SOrry, one more question. Thinking about taking a 4-6 week trip
to the Southwest this winter and wondering how I best keep track
of my home--especially that the furnace hasn't died. I'm
thinking some kind of smart thermostat I can connect to from afar,
and wondering if the brain trust here has any suggestions?
--
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On 6/15/2026 11:25 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

SOrry, one more question. Thinking about taking a 4-6 week trip
to the Southwest this winter and wondering how I best keep track
of my home--especially that the furnace hasn't died. I'm
thinking some kind of smart thermostat I can connect to from afar,
and wondering if the brain trust here has any suggestions?

I should do this too, but haven't gotten around to looking into it. I
do shut off my water and water heater when I leave in any season so the
damage would be minimal. But it would be nice to know if the heater
takes a crap for sure. Let us know what you find out.
--
Science DoesnrCOt Support Darwin. Scientists Do

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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:01:08 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

On 6/15/2026 11:25 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

SOrry, one more question. Thinking about taking a 4-6 week
trip to the Southwest this winter and wondering how I best
keep track of my home--especially that the furnace hasn't
died. I'm thinking some kind of smart thermostat I can
connect to from afar, and wondering if the brain trust here
has any suggestions?

I should do this too, but haven't gotten around to looking into
it. I do shut off my water and water heater when I leave in
any season so the damage would be minimal. But it would be
nice to know if the heater takes a crap for sure. Let us know
what you find out.

It caught my attention when my electric utility advertised free
smart thermostats to customers who allow them to have some control
over energy use at peak load times. I compared their list against Wirecutter's recommendations, and settled on the ecobee Essential
option...

https://thermostat.oppd.com/ecobee-essential-thermostat.html

I'll let you know how it goes, and if I forget please feel free to
ask!

BTW, shutting off the water and water heater is a good idea, I'll
start doing that!
--
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On 6/16/2026 9:29 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:01:08 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

On 6/15/2026 11:25 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

SOrry, one more question. Thinking about taking a 4-6 week
trip to the Southwest this winter and wondering how I best
keep track of my home--especially that the furnace hasn't
died. I'm thinking some kind of smart thermostat I can
connect to from afar, and wondering if the brain trust here
has any suggestions?

I should do this too, but haven't gotten around to looking into
it. I do shut off my water and water heater when I leave in
any season so the damage would be minimal. But it would be
nice to know if the heater takes a crap for sure. Let us know
what you find out.

It caught my attention when my electric utility advertised free
smart thermostats to customers who allow them to have some control
over energy use at peak load times. I compared their list against Wirecutter's recommendations, and settled on the ecobee Essential
option...

https://thermostat.oppd.com/ecobee-essential-thermostat.html

I'll let you know how it goes, and if I forget please feel free to
ask!

I am going to put this on my to do list, too. Though I have a newer
furnace, I have cleaned the flame sensor on this one already I believe.
Forget if I've done it on this one for sure, because I've done it so
many time in the past on the older one. I also have to do it rather
regularly on the water heater, which is a little more difficult.

If the darn thing can't start up because of that sensor needing
cleaning, it would be ashamed to burst a water pipe since a call could
easily get it fixed.

BTW, shutting off the water and water heater is a good idea, I'll
start doing that!

My brother had one of the stainless flexible water lines to his washing machine go one time while he was away. The damage was huge. There's
also the plastic lines going to the April Aire, the ice maker in the refrigerator, and to be honest you can get a crack in any copper joint
and it would just keep flooding the house. Bad enough if you're home
and only get a days worth of water. Out of town and having this go on
for day after day would leave a moldy mess.

BTW, I have been making a list of things I need to take with and do
before leaving on a trip. I figured they were mostly going to always be
the same. So I have made myself an excel sheet with conditional
formatting so that when I complete each line and place an X in the box,
the information in the task cell turn to a different completed color and
I know that one is done. I'm heading up north for four nights to
Governor Dodge State Park in Wisconsin for some hiking and fishing and
will be using it for the second time. Should make things easier, and eliminate any, "Oh shit, I forgot that."
--
Science DoesnrCOt Support Darwin. Scientists Do

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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:48:24 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

I am going to put this on my to do list, too. Though I have a
newer furnace, I have cleaned the flame sensor on this one
already I believe. Forget if I've done it on this one for sure,
because I've done it so many time in the past on the older one.
I also have to do it rather regularly on the water heater,
which is a little more difficult.

If the darn thing can't start up because of that sensor needing
cleaning, it would be ashamed to burst a water pipe since a
call could easily get it fixed.

I suppose I should learn how to clean the heat sensor on my home
furnace, but I'm inclined to keep having my regular HVAC company
come out twice a year. I like having confidence all aspects are
being evaluated, plus feel as if I'm more likely to get prompt
service in a pinch (e.g., the furnace dies during a cold snap) if
I have an established relationship.

My brother had one of the stainless flexible water lines to his
washing machine go one time while he was away. The damage was
huge. There's also the plastic lines going to the April Aire,
the ice maker in the refrigerator, and to be honest you can get
a crack in any copper joint and it would just keep flooding the
house. Bad enough if you're home and only get a days worth of
water. Out of town and having this go on for day after day
would leave a moldy mess.

Yeah, that sounds awful!

BTW, I have been making a list of things I need to take with
and do before leaving on a trip. I figured they were mostly
going to always be the same. So I have made myself an excel
sheet with conditional formatting so that when I complete each
line and place an X in the box, the information in the task
cell turn to a different completed color and I know that one is
done. I'm heading up north for four nights to Governor Dodge
State Park in Wisconsin for some hiking and fishing and will be
using it for the second time. Should make things easier, and
eliminate any, "Oh shit, I forgot that."

Sounds smart. Would you be willing to share? My e-mail address
is in the headers, unmunged.
--
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> Gretna, NE, USA
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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On 6/17/2026 9:24 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:48:24 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

I am going to put this on my to do list, too. Though I have a
newer furnace, I have cleaned the flame sensor on this one
already I believe. Forget if I've done it on this one for sure,
because I've done it so many time in the past on the older one.
I also have to do it rather regularly on the water heater,
which is a little more difficult.

If the darn thing can't start up because of that sensor needing
cleaning, it would be ashamed to burst a water pipe since a
call could easily get it fixed.

I suppose I should learn how to clean the heat sensor on my home
furnace, but I'm inclined to keep having my regular HVAC company
come out twice a year. I like having confidence all aspects are
being evaluated, plus feel as if I'm more likely to get prompt
service in a pinch (e.g., the furnace dies during a cold snap) if
I have an established relationship.

I agree it is good to have a relationship with them, but you do need to
do it. On a furnace it is usually pretty easy. The main concern is
making sure to turn the power off so you don't get zapped. The problem
is they never go out when you don't need it. If it goes out at 10PM and
you have along cold, below zero night ahead of you, you can quickly get
it back working if you know how to do it.

BTW, it is usually just a simple and easy to reach little plug with one
or two screws holding it in. Once out, it looks like a little rod only
1-2 inches long at most, and I usually just take a little piece of emery
cloth and polish it up. Reinsert and screw it back down, turn the juice
back on and see if it senses the flame again. That's it.

---snip---

BTW, I have been making a list of things I need to take with
and do before leaving on a trip. I figured they were mostly
going to always be the same. So I have made myself an excel
sheet with conditional formatting so that when I complete each
line and place an X in the box, the information in the task
cell turn to a different completed color and I know that one is
done. I'm heading up north for four nights to Governor Dodge
State Park in Wisconsin for some hiking and fishing and will be
using it for the second time. Should make things easier, and
eliminate any, "Oh shit, I forgot that."

Sounds smart. Would you be willing to share? My e-mail address
is in the headers, unmunged.

Absolutely. But first, what version of word do you have? I also have a
nice macro button to reset the sheet and knowing what you did for a
living figure you are familiar with using them. If not let me know, or
I can eliminate it and you would just have to select the input cells and
clear contents.
--
Science DoesnrCOt Support Darwin. Scientists Do

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From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

On 6/17/2026 12:21 PM, sticks wrote:

I agree it is good to have a relationship with them, but you do need to
do it.-a On a furnace it is usually pretty easy.-a The main concern is

I should have caught this before sending. I meant to say you need to
"learn how" to do it. Not just do it. Anyway, at least learn where it
is on your furnace.
--
Science DoesnrCOt Support Darwin. Scientists Do

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