Need advice on winterizing house

[Kstuart]

Hello,

I live in a small rural town where it can get down into single digits in winter. My house has the usual 3 br, 2 bath (both with shower), kitchen, dishwasher, washing machine. The water is provided by a well with an underground (submersible) pump and a pressure tank under the house(but no valve at the tank - however there is an outside hose faucet that happens to be lower than all the plumbing). There is only electricity and we usually heat in winter with a high-end wood stove supplemented by electric oil-filled radiator heaters. The house dates from the 70s, is poorly insulated, has all copper piping (with some fittings of other materials), and all wood construction (no sheetrock).

I am planning on spending the winter (four months) with relatives by the coastside and may eventually move there, as I am getting too old for dealing with the feet of snow that we get here most winters.

Heating the house in winter electrically would cost roughly $400 a month (due to the lack of insulation). Last January, the power was out for four days, so I cannot depend on there being any heat.

My questions:

- What would you do in this situation ?

- How long does it take to do the whole procedure of draining the water from the whole system, blowing air through the pipes, antifreeze into the traps, etc. ? (My relatives are an 8 hour drive, so if it would take me hours to do the winterizing, it might be necessary to have someone else do it anyway.)

- What damage or problems can occur with the house being frozen - even if all the water is thoroughly removed from the plumbing ? In other words, things other than pipes bursting.

Thanks !

 

[Gary Swart]

I would suggest that since it is unlikely you have the tools/equipment necessary to do the job, and considering all of the appliances and the pump, I believe it would be wise to have a plumber do this. The time would depend on things that would have to be determined on-site, but I doubt if it would take plumber hours to do the job. As long as the pipes are 100% drained, traps are filled with antifreeze, and the pump properly dealt with, there should be no damage or problems incurred.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Redwood]

I wouldn't go so far to say there will be no damage. Here we have many seasonal homes along Long Island Sound and the many lakes in our state which are winterized. Most of them are a result of a good original design for draining the system down with several seasons of refinement and a few repairs along the way. Even those have an occaisional oops along the way.

I don't think you can count on no damage in a home not designed for winterization. But you might get lucky.

Make sure that you have a good plumber and that he uses a big compressor because it is all about air volume to blow the water out of the pipes.
Like one of those rigs that get towed behind a truck....

 

[Hairyhosebib]

Use RV anti freeze, it is not poisonous. It won't kill animals either that I know of.

Ideal for winterizing all types of potable water supply systems. Recommended for use in boats, trailers, recreational vehicles, vacation homes, swimming pool filtration and heating systems. Outstanding rust and metal protection for all metal pipes commonly found in water supply systems.