Winterizing the house

[Mickey35]

This winter we, hopfully, will be spending our winter in Florida. The question is - -since we have never had the opptunity to do this before - -How do I prepare the house here in the north for winter. I expect to drain the hot water tank and turn off the gas to it, I'll turn off the water at the main and use RV anti freeze in the traps and Commodes. I'm going to set the heat at 55 Degs. I am having a neigbhor enter the house once a week to just give it a check over. Someone mentioned to have the snow cleared off the driveway and side walk so that intruders will think the house is still occupied. Still thinking that one over. I also intend to leave a light fixture on a timer maybe even 2 in different rooms to be on and off at different times. Do you or any of the other members have ANY IDEAS on what to do ---not to do --or any thing at all?????
Thanks For Any Help or advise.

[HayZee518]

have your water department turn off the water at the street cock. disconnect the main water at the basement main valve and blow out the lines with compressed air. if you are prone to a deep freeze wrap what's exposed on your water main with fiberglass insulation and duct tape. set the "stat" at 45 degrees. it'll be enough to take the chill off.

[LazyPup]

Begin by having the municipal water service provider turn the water off at the curb stop as mentioned by Hayzee.

Next open a faucet at the lowest point in your water distribution system to drain the house lines. Most houses in northern climates have a basement and generally you will have a laundry sink in the basement, which is an ideal place to drain the house lines. If your on a slab generally the outside hose bib is the lowest point in your system. Be sure to open both a hot & cold water faucet at the highest fixture in the house while draining to allow air to vent into the lines. This will aid in draining the system.

Drain the water heater

There should be a union on the main water line near the "Main water shutoff valve". Disconnect that union and allow the water to drain out, then attach an air compressor to the line at that point and set the compressors regulator for 40psi and begin charging the water system with air. While you are charging the system with air, begin by closing the faucets at the upper fixture that you opened before, then go to each faucet in the house and open the faucets to be sure you are only getting air out of the faucet then close the faucet and move on to the next faucet until you have purged all the faucets in the house.

When purging the kitchen faucet if you have a hand sprayer be sure to press the control valve on the sprayer to insure you get the water out. (when you are getting air from the compressor it is fine)

Now flush all toilets to remove the water from the tank and as the fill valve float drops you should hear air coming out of the fill valve. This will insure there is no air trapped in the flush valve diaphragm assembly.

Now use a sponge to remove any water that may be remaining in the toilet tank. (even a small amount of water could freeze, expand and crack the tank)

Turn your tub/shower diverter to the tub position to drain any residual water that may be standing in the shower riser.

At this point you should have the water distribution system finished so lets move on to the drains.

If you are only planning to be gone for about a month or six weeks adding a 1/4cup of food grade antifreeze to each trap is fine, but if your planning to be gone for an extended period of 2 months or more you have to consider that that water in the traps could evaporate, which would leave the trap open, allowing sewer gas to get into the house. One method or preventing evaporation is to first put the antifreeze in the trap, then pour about 3 or 4 teaspoons of cooking oil in the trap. The oil will form a film over the top of the water and prevent evaporation. Here again, this method is good for the short term but for an extended time the water can still evaporate from the inside of the trap into the drain line. Here is a trick. First use a plunger on the drain to force as much of the existing water out as you can. Now put about 1 gallon of water in a 2gallon bucket, add the antifreeze per the antifreeze mfg instructions, then add about 1 cup of cooking oil. Now use a common cooking wish to rapidly mix the water, antifreeze and cooking oil into a solution and pour about 2 to 3 cups in each drain. Once this solution gets into the trap the oil will float to the top of the water on both sides of the trap U section and you have no problem with evaporation. (Don't forget the basement floor drains.)

Stop delivery on your newspapers

Ask your postman to hold delivery on your mail until you return. My postman says that they will do this free of charge at my local post office, but we are a small community. He says in some larger cities they may require you to take a PO box (at a slightly reduced rate) for a short time, and they will forward your mail to the PO box.

Timers on your lights are good, except the thieves do their homework to. If they see the lights going on and off at exactly the same time every day its like posting a sign that your gone. They make an inexpensive solar switch for lamps that is about 3" long with a light bulb male thread on the bottom and a light bulb socket on to and a tiny solar sensor on the side. You screw the adapter into a lamp socket, then screw a light bulb into the top of the adapter. You could then set up a timer that would turn the power on to the lamp at about 3pm and off at 11pm. In this manner the timer would turn the lamp off at 11pm as if you went to bed, then the next day at 3pm it would turn the circuit on to supply power to the lamp, but the lamp does not come on until it gets dark enough to require a light, which is different times each day and leaving the illusion that someone is there. You could then hook up another timer in the bathroom and bedroom to come on at 11pm and off at 11:30 or midnight, leaving the illusion that you left the living room and went to the bedroom.

If you have hydronic heating (circulating hot water) ask your heating tech about having a Brine or antifreeze solution added to your circulating water. In this manner, if your power or heating system should fail for any reason while the structure is unattended at least the boiler and pipes won't freeze and burst.

If you have a monitored alarm system you can have a thermal sensor installed which would alert the monitor if the interior temp drops below a predetermined point, and you could make arrangements to have the alarm company notify a friend or relative of the situation so they could take the appropriate actions.

[Mickey35]

Winterizing the house

I want to thnak both HayZee 518 & Lazy Pup. Both of whom gave me splended and useful ideas that I will use. I stil have a question - - the water heater I have has only a shut off to the Cold water or the inlet - -I have no shut off to the outlet Hot water. Question --when I use the compressed air to blow out the water lines, won't the water from the hot water lines be blown back into the Hot Water tank ? If that is not the case then that's great- -if Not What do I do? Oh yes I have a slab house so the outside house bib will hopefully be the lowest point of the water draining. Since I'll be gone 3 or more months I am having some one redo the drains and commodes once or twice for safety so the sewer gas does not enter the house - -he will also be checking at least once a week the in & outside of the house. The vacation sounds good, but the winterizing is lots of work. I hope is gets better as the years go by. You sure have been a help THANKS

[HayZee518]

shut off the electric to the hot water heater or the main gas if it is a gas heater. connect a hose to the boiler drain on the hot water heater and lead it out of the house, then turn on or open the valve. this will be the lowest connection in the house for the hot water supply and will drain by gravity. take the air compressor connection and connect it at the highest hot water out let in the house and open it up. any remaining water in the hot water supply will be forced out at the hot water heater connection's boiler drain and will be blown out of it and the lines. since you have a valve on the cold water supply to the hot water heater, this may prove to be the lowest cold water exit also. once your system is purged of all water by gravity, turn the highest hot water diverter valve to the cold water side and any water left in the cold water will go out the water heater bolier drain.

[Mickey35]

Winterizing The House

Thanks for the replay, but seems I'm really dumb. As I read what you wrote I seemd to be confused. - -PART OF YOUR ANSWER - -connect a hose to the boiler drain on the hot water heater and lead it out of the house, then turn on or open the valve. this will be the lowest connection in the house for the hot water supply and will drain by gravity. take the air compressor connection and connect it at the highest hot water out let in the house and open it up. any remaining water in the hot water supply will be forced out at the hot water heater connection's boiler drain and will be blown out of it and the lines.
My Question: I only have to open 1 hot water outlet - -The highest one and leave the rest closed????? Then do the same to the cold side??? then ALL of the HOT & COLD water will be flushed out???
I hate having to ask so may questions, but this being the first time I've done this - -I hate to make a mistake and find a broken pipe or something else on my return. I am going to have soneone monitor the house at least once a week. I'm sort of a worry wort. Tahnks for all the help so far you have been a positive place to get help for the uneducated.

[HayZee518]

ok, to clarify, once you have the hose connected to the hot water system drain valve and have it open - and the curb stop CLOSED - open any valve on your system hot and cold. gravity will take over and will drain all lines. For a bathtub, unscrew the tub spout and get a 1/2 inch female coupling and adapt it to an airline fitting [probably be a 1/4 inch male thread] using a 1/2 X 1/4 inch bushing. start your compressor and adjust the output to 12 psi like the "pup" said when the line is blowing air with no sputtering, shut off the compressor and close the tub valve and go to the next fixture. for the sink spout you'll need an aerator adapter because this has a fine thread in/on it. adapt this to the compressor fitting and do the same as above. same will do with the kitchen sink spout. etc.

[HayZee518]

draining water

following is a picture of what you may need to connect up an air compressor to your faucets in your house. the spouts on your bathroom sink and kitchen sink may use either an internal or external threaded aerator. you'll have to find out and make up a suitable adapter to fit either or both threads.

[Mickey35]

Winterizing the House

THANKS AGAIN: I have the info I need.Seems that the little things don't come as easy as they used to, but then at 73 nothing is real easy. You again saved the day. I have saved all the information and will use every word.