Winterizing & Summerizing for Snowbirds

[RVSnowbird]

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, there is a temp device that will either phone a number or a cheaper one that will turn on a light if the temp drops.
Myself I don't bother.
My checks:
Turn the water off at the main.
Turn the water heater down to Away or Pilot which ever yours says.
Turn the heat down to 50.
Run water thru the main drain for 10 minutes. (why? because TP will harden up in the line and can plug up.)
Put the telephone on Voice Mail only.
Stop the paper.
Stop the mail.
Put a couple of lights on meters that turn on and off.
Unplug all TV's and VCRs(why? if you live in an electrical storm area, TVs will pick up on lighting and are a cause of household fires.)
Have the friendly neighbor shovel the walk just enough to make it look lived in and also drive once on the driveway.

Mountain Jack wrote:
Howdy, Charlie;

I Feel it depends on where you Live & how Your Home is set-up. What Works for me, Might Not for You. We went south last Nov, & were gone for 7 months.

We live in a Mobile Home, out in the country, on the side of a Mountain. All our appliances are electric. Our water comes from underground Artesian Springs. We have a Septic tank. They don't deliver mail here, we have a P.O. Box.

Most of our plumbing is PVC, buried 2' in the ground. Anything above ground, i covered with pipe wrap. I put fiberglass insulation over hose bibs & put a 5 gallon plastic bucket over it. Drained all garden hoses. By our main spring, we have a 2,500 Gall holding tank. I turned the water Off there, & drained whatever piping i could. Most is Gravity Fed.

On the inside i covered All Mobiles windows with blankets & heavy towels. Covered computer, TV's, vcr's, stereo,etc. For mildew protection, i put a (Dri-Z-Air) with crystals, in sinks. I propped open Frig & Freezer doors. I turned OFF, ALL Electricity, put a hold on my internet service.

We have 1 neighbor, about a mile away, He was GoodEnough to check on the place, once in a while, & pick up our mail at Post Office. Anything important, he mailed to our Daughter, in Las Vegas. All our bills were paid from our bank account.

The vehicles we left here, i charged the Batts Fully, added distilled water, & disconnected them.

This is what Worked for Us. We had a Great Time, down South. might go again this Winter, if i get Off this computer, & get my Chores Done. LOL!!
I fyour in the area, check out;
www.avicasino.com They have a Huge Free RV Parking area & EveryBody was Friendly. It's between Needles & Laughlin.

When we Finalllllly got Home, hadn't planned on stayingaway so Long. Everything was Fine, Except some MICE had taken up SQUATters Rights. But, we cleaned it up. Our Dog & 2 Cats were with Us. My Puppy doesn't like trespassers on Her Mountain, whether they be Mice, Deer, the meter reader, or Whomever.

I, No Doubt, have forgotten to mention some things. Just not quite as Young as i Was. If you have any Questions, i can Help with, email me.
Have a Fantastic Time, this Winter. Don't Rob any Banks. Take Care. Jack......

rancelumsden wrote:
Since you're obviously using the web to access this forum, there is a huge amount of info about winterizing houses on the web.

www.pamic.org/Info/Safety%20Articles/oct00.htm
www.bre.umd.edu/html/159.html

The water supply to the dwelling should be turned off. In addition, pipes and commodes throughout the house should be drained and excess water removed and/or some type of freeze preventative introduced into the plumbing system. A qualified licensed plumber should be consulted for the best plan for your home.
If pipes are not drained, those that are subjected to direct outside temperatures should be properly insulated. Exposure to wind and cold can be minimized by scaling off open areas around the foundation of the dwelling during the colder months.
Leaving the heat on is no guarantee that it will stay on. Power interruptions occur, furnaces malfunction or run out of fuel. Low thermostat settings may not compensate for unusually cold weather that may grip your area. Your heating system should be inspected and cleaned each year before using it.
Shut off the electrical supply to appliances and lighting where practical.
Clean out cupboards and pantries so as to remove items that attract rodents and pests.
Maintenance of the exterior is important also. Be certain that the roof, guttering and downspouts, siding and windows are in good repair. Remember: autumn leaves can clog a downspout or a basement drain for the entire winter.
If the house has functional shutters, they can be closed.
Inspect trees on the property for potential problems. Dead trees and/or limbs should be removed. An ice storm can cause overhanging limbs to fall onto the house or even sag to a point of rubbing against the home and damaging the siding.
Swimming pools should be properly closed and secured for the season.
Arrange to have your driveway cleared in the event of snow or ice so emergency vehicles can gain easy entry if necessary.
If you have a central reporting fire alarm or security system, notify the appropriate office of your planned extended absence.
Regular visits to the property are your best defense. If not practical for you, then perhaps there is a neighbor whom you could trust to routinely check the home inside and out and report any problems immediately.

Anything to add?

....RVSnowbird

[nmcbride]

A lot of homes have a drain somewhere in the basement or crawl space that allows you to "gravity" drain the water lines. Just close the valve on the line coming into your home and open the drain, it should empty all water out of lines. Don't forget to empty your toilet tanks and bowls too. The most important thing though is to turn the water off, that way even if something does go wrong and cracks/bursts the damage will be pretty limited. If you're leaving your home heated I'd recommend picking up a Freeze Alarm too, they're pretty cheap and let you check in any time you want to get a real time temp. reading at your home. We use this one http://www.absoluteautomation.com/freezealarm/fai/index.html - and love it.

[John_S2]

Good point. Thanks

[pawatt]

John S wrote:
I was thinking of using the standard anti freeze that you use in cars for the toilet bowls and the toilet tanks. Since we do not drink out of them I figure there is no problem with toxicity. Has anyone done this or do you recommend against it? I have used RV antifreeze for the motorhome but that is because our drinking water lines are involved.

Do not do this, it is very poisonous and will pollute the ground water when you drain it.

[OpenRoadWarrior]

You guys are mostly discussing fluids, but what about getting a shelter? I have no covered space to store my RV. Does anyone know of a good place to get a shelter? A friend recommended This One, but I wanted some other opinions.

Thanks much!

[John_S2]

I was thinking of using the standard anti freeze that you use in cars for the toilet bowls and the toilet tanks. Since we do not drink out of them I figure there is no problem with toxicity. Has anyone done this or do you recommend against it? I have used RV antifreeze for the motorhome but that is because our drinking water lines are involved.

[cherie1014]

Any ideas on "summerizing" our place in Fla. while we go north for summer?

[cekkk]

Wow, already several things I hadn't considered or known about.

[Tom_M1]

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.

[Harvard]

Contrary to advice received else where, pink antifreeze in traps will evaporate in the Arizona summer, I will be going back to using mineral oil.

[Harvard]

Do not leave a vacuum cleaner in any enclosed storage space because the VC may cause unwanted odors if left for extended period. Put it outside in a shed.

[Coalminer_UG]

My One concern is Hot water tank.It will be turned off but what are pros and cons about draining it.

[thecampingman]

I once had a contract with Farmers Home Administration to "winterize" repo'd houses. If it froze the repair was on me.
Here's what I learned. If you get all the water out, nothing is going to freeze. The way to do that is drain everything, and blow out the lines with compressed air.
"Everything" would include ice makers, water filters water heaters, outdoor taps...everything. Compressed air needs to be regulated so you don't blow your plumbing apart. If you only drain your lines water will pool and freeze.

If you leave your heat on you're at the mercy of your heating system, utility company, maybe a low temp warning system, your neighbor, your insurance company...only one of which has to fail for it to cost you. If there's no water it ain't going to freeze!

[snowyowl_13]

We have been told that unless someone comes to the house daily to check on things, our insurance will not cover freezing etc. We are planning to go south this winter (Jan.,Feb., & March)but we will get a plumber to winterize the house. By doing that we should be able to turn off the furnace completely. This is how all the summer people that come here handle things and i don't see why it should be any different for a regular house.

[CountryCoachrv]

I guess I have been lucky, I never winterize the house when I leave. Have an all electric house and just set the furnace at 60 degrees. We do turn our well pump off but do not drain anything. I guess the risk is that electricity would go out with a big ice storm and be off for an extended period of time.

[ka8mbkcamper]

Yes you want to drain everything. You can blow out the lines under the house. I have a basement so everything drains by gravity.