Leaving house with septic system over winter
A question for those who live on acreages with septic system in Cold Areas.... We are just going to move onto an acreage and am wondering if my system will freeze up. My son will be staying there...
Forum Discussion
Septic will not freeze. There is active bacteria in there which raises the temp and the ground is typically 55 degrees. Worst case a crust of ice might form which is not a big deal. The leach field is below the frost line.
If you are leaving the house unheated you need to winterize just like an rv with a few twists.
+ add antifreeze to all traps (sinks, showers laundry etc)
+ drain the well tank and leave the valve open
+ drain all the pipes in the house and leave the faucets open
+ open the outside faucets too.
+ Power off and drain the hot water heater, if tankless you need to blast some air thru it to remove the water in the exchanger
+ drain toilet tanks and add antifreeze to the bowl
+ check the pantry and remove any bottles or cans that will freeze....think soda!
+ If you have any water filtration devices, these need to be empty or close to empty remove the sediment filter because water gets trapped in there and can burst
If you are leaving the house unheated you need to winterize just like an rv with a few twists.
+ add antifreeze to all traps (sinks, showers laundry etc)
+ drain the well tank and leave the valve open
+ drain all the pipes in the house and leave the faucets open
+ open the outside faucets too.
+ Power off and drain the hot water heater, if tankless you need to blast some air thru it to remove the water in the exchanger
+ drain toilet tanks and add antifreeze to the bowl
+ check the pantry and remove any bottles or cans that will freeze....think soda!
+ If you have any water filtration devices, these need to be empty or close to empty remove the sediment filter because water gets trapped in there and can burst
