winterize sticks and bricks?
Hey Snowbirds, This will be my first year leaving for the winter to spend time in mild climes.Do you do anything special to winterize the homestead before leaving or just a matter of leaving the heat ...
Forum Discussion
OH YEAH!!! When in Michigan
We shut the water off and everything down and use air pressure to blow out all the pipes, put windshield washer solvent or rv antifreeze in all the traps, I also pump rv anti freeze into the ice maker, washing machine and dishwasher because of the electric solenoid valves. I have had residual water break the ice maker.
When I did leave the heat on and had phone service I had a freeze protector system that dialed my phone with a freeze warning. It activated a couple times because of power outages so I waited a few hours and it would call again and say the freeze alarm was now ok. I think it was made by Honeywell.
If you get hard freezes I wouldn't chance it. If the furnace quits and no one knows about it you will break pipes. Of course the water main should be off but if the pipes are not blown out they can burst.
SO....ALSO, if you do leave the heat on shut off the water main supply valve. When you return and turn the water main back on run a faucet or several of the faucets BEFORE you use the ice maker, dishwasher, washing machine or any device with electric solenoid valves.
I would shut off the water main when leaving for longer vacations in the summer and one time came home and started using the washing machine. I figured it had a small piece of crud dislodged when operating the main valve and it lodged in the solenoid fill valve and started flooding the kitchen. Good thing we didn't turn it on and go do something else.
We shut the water off and everything down and use air pressure to blow out all the pipes, put windshield washer solvent or rv antifreeze in all the traps, I also pump rv anti freeze into the ice maker, washing machine and dishwasher because of the electric solenoid valves. I have had residual water break the ice maker.
When I did leave the heat on and had phone service I had a freeze protector system that dialed my phone with a freeze warning. It activated a couple times because of power outages so I waited a few hours and it would call again and say the freeze alarm was now ok. I think it was made by Honeywell.
If you get hard freezes I wouldn't chance it. If the furnace quits and no one knows about it you will break pipes. Of course the water main should be off but if the pipes are not blown out they can burst.
SO....ALSO, if you do leave the heat on shut off the water main supply valve. When you return and turn the water main back on run a faucet or several of the faucets BEFORE you use the ice maker, dishwasher, washing machine or any device with electric solenoid valves.
I would shut off the water main when leaving for longer vacations in the summer and one time came home and started using the washing machine. I figured it had a small piece of crud dislodged when operating the main valve and it lodged in the solenoid fill valve and started flooding the kitchen. Good thing we didn't turn it on and go do something else.
