Battery Operated Thermostats - Winter Trouble?

One thing we often forget to change are the batteries in is our fancy programmable thermostats. They, eventually, just go dead. They don't beep, they don't flash lights, they just stop working.

Unfortunately, the consequences for closed up seasonal homes can be disastrous. They are one of the causes of very expensive home freeze-ups. Thermostat batteries should be changed when you close up your home for the winter. Of course, if you drain all the pipes this is a non-issue. But many folks just turn down the thermostats to 50 degrees, or so. These folks should ensure that their thermostats are operational and have fresh batteries.

To keep life simple, I generally recommend old-fashioned mechanical thermostats (i.e. without batteries) for seasonal homes.