INDEX TO THIS PAGE 1.  Lawn Watering Schedule 2.  Preparing Your Home for Your Long Absence 3.  Disposing of Old Batteries                                          ---- LAWN WATERING SCHEDULE Last updated April 2, 2011      Twice-weekly lawn watering is allowed. All lawn watering must be done before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The schedule for watering established lawns and landscaping is: ·   Addresses ending in 0, 1, 2 or 3 - Mondays and Thursdays. ·   Addresses ending in 4, 5 or 6 – Tuesdays and Fridays.   ·   Addresses ending in 7, 8 or 9, locations with no address, and locations with mixed addresses (such as office complexes and shopping centers – Wednesdays and Saturdays.      The restrictions apply to all residents of Sun City Center and Kings Point.  Water Resource Services customers and users of private wells, ponds or lakes that are used as alternate irrigation supplies are included.  Residents may hand-water plants and shrubs, or use a drip irrigation system in landscaping beds, at any time. There are also special rules for watering new sod and plantings. There are no restrictions on fountains, car washing and pressure washing.       For complete information on the twice-weekly schedule, rules for watering new sod and plantings, and other restrictions, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/water, call 275-7094 for a recorded message, or call the Water Conservation Team at 272-5977, ext. 43991, during regular business hours.  PREPARING YOUR HOME IF LEAVING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS  1.  Security:      Fill out card at Security Patrol      Unplug garage door opener (or turn off electric circuit)      Unplug electronics (TV, microwave, etc.)      Turn off wireless modem if still plugged in      Closing blinds and drapes will save energy costs      Leave key with neighbor for periodic in-house checks      Put telephone and cable on ‘vacation mode’.      Ask neighbor to remove weekly papers from driveway      There are also Snowbird services available for many of these tasks      Ask neighbor to check your irrigation timers periodically      Notify Post Office      Stop newspaper delivery  2. Inside House:      Set thermostat to 85°      Set Humidistat to 65%      Turn off ice maker in refrigerator      Put vegetable oil in garbage disposal      Flush toilet 5-6 times to clear exit pipes      Turn off water heater electrical circuit      Turn off water coming into house*      Flush toilet once more to drain tank (leave water in bowl)      Wipe remaining water from bottom of tank      Place plastic wrap over toilet bowl      Lock both sides of external sliding doors *  You can ask the county to turn off your water at the street.     This will eliminate any chance of a water leak in your system     while you are away, and will reduce your monthly bill. Just     remember to give them advanced warning when you are     coming home again. 3.  Around the House:      Fill golf cart batteries to proper level and leave unplugged from charger.      Arrange for continued yard service if your HOA does not handle this.    OLD BATTERIES         For the past 18 years, there has been a collection place for residents to throw their used flashlight, hearing aid and other small batteries.  We used to call them “dry cells”. Since that collection bin is no longer there, what should you do with your used batteries?      There is an organization called Environmental Health & Safety Online in Atlanta, GA that recognizes battery disposal as a national problem.  The Community Association is now using their guidance for battery disposal, as shown below, so maybe we all should, too.  PART I Batteries you can throw away with your regular household trash            ALKALINE:  Better known as “coppertop” or just “alkaline” commonly used in flashlights, calculators, toys, clocks, smoke alarms and remote controls (sizes AAA, AA, C, D, 6V or 9V). ·        CARBON ZINC:  These are the batteries most of us grew up with, “Heavy Duty”, general purpose AAA, AA, C, D, 6v, 9v.  Same uses as above plus maybe transistor radios, garage door openers. ·        RECHARGEABLE NICKEL METAL HYDRIDE:  If labeled, you will see “Ni-Li” or “Ni-Hydride”.  They are sold for all the same purposes as above plus for power tools, cellular phones, or computer packs. ·        LITHIUM:  These come in 3v, 6v, and 9v sizes for use typically in cameras, calculators, computer memory backup .. even in the new tennis shoes.  They are not deemed as hazardous waste, but they can be recycled, so you can take them to the disposal places shown below in Part II. PART II         The Radio Shack store next to Bealls in the Marketplace Shopping Center will accept the types shown below.  There are also bins at the Home Depot for larger batteries used in the kinds of power tools they sell.        The county has a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site on Powell Road just north of Big Bend Road off US 41 a few miles north of Apollo Beach.  It is open mornings on the second Saturday of each month.  There is no charge for dumping batteries (and they also accept paint and other chemicals plus electronic products during those hours).  ·        BUTTON:  These are used in hearing aids, watches, greeting cards, some toys and remote controls.  They are classified as hazardous waste.   Do not, please, throw these away with your regular household trash. ·        RECHARGEABLE NICKEL-CADMIUM:  Known as “Ni-Cad” or labeled “Ni-Cd” in sizes AAA, AA, C, D, 6v and 9v.  They are classified as hazardous waste.  Do not, please, throw these away with your regular household trash.