Winterizing & Summerizing for Snowbirds
This subject comes up often so here is the result of the best reference the archives turned up. It's at: Winterizing house, 10/17/02. cyminn wrote: I don't worry about the heat, but if you do, the...
Forum Discussion
I've been winterizing for 3 winters and am learning the hard way.
The first time I shut off the water and disconnected the main line at the meter in the basement. I drained the lines and the water heater. I did not blow out the lines. Put antifreeze in all traps. Shut off heat. Shut off gas. Gathered up anything that would freeze, mainly canned goods.
When I returned in the spring I discovered the following:
There was a low spot in a water line that had frozen and pushed the soldered fittings off the ends of the pipe. Luckily the pipe did not burst.
An inline water filter had burst.
A solenoid valve for the ice maker in the refrigerator had burst.
A can of Diet Cola had exploded that I had left on the kitchen counter.
I was able to do repairs myself so the cost wasn't too bad, just time consuming. The most costly was $50 for the valve for the frig.
For winter two I did blow out the water lines with air. On returning that spring all was good.
Last winter I found that I had failed to drain the water out of the sprayer for the kitchen sink. It was trashed.
Hopefully I have it all figured out for next winter.
The first time I shut off the water and disconnected the main line at the meter in the basement. I drained the lines and the water heater. I did not blow out the lines. Put antifreeze in all traps. Shut off heat. Shut off gas. Gathered up anything that would freeze, mainly canned goods.
When I returned in the spring I discovered the following:
There was a low spot in a water line that had frozen and pushed the soldered fittings off the ends of the pipe. Luckily the pipe did not burst.
An inline water filter had burst.
A solenoid valve for the ice maker in the refrigerator had burst.
A can of Diet Cola had exploded that I had left on the kitchen counter.
I was able to do repairs myself so the cost wasn't too bad, just time consuming. The most costly was $50 for the valve for the frig.
For winter two I did blow out the water lines with air. On returning that spring all was good.
Last winter I found that I had failed to drain the water out of the sprayer for the kitchen sink. It was trashed.
Hopefully I have it all figured out for next winter.
