How to Winterize your Plumbing when going Away

Winterizing your Home Plumbing

Winter and Plumbing aren’t best combination. That is why it’s important to protect your home plumbing when going away for long time. Winterizing household plumbing is the process of getting your home plumbing ready for the cold and freezing temperatures. It’s also a way to avoid burst pipes and thousands of dollars in damages as a result.  

Why is Winterizing my Home Plumbing important? 

Everyone knows that water becomes ice as it freezes. When water freezes and becomes ice it expands. This expansion has a negative effect on strength of the water pipes. Expansion of ice in copper or plastic leads to burst pipes. If you have burst pipes you are in big trouble.  

Why should I Winterize my Plumbing when going Away?  

Winterizing plumbing when going away is recommended as added protection. Many different things happen like electrical outage or furnace failure, and loss of heat in winter is very bad for your water pipes. This is why winterizing before going away is a good way to protect your home from flood. 

Preparing for the Winterization Checklist 

Start with a plumbing checklist. It’s easy to miss something, this is where the checklist becomes handy. Create a checklist of all your plumbing fixtures and valves. Once your list is done follow the below steps starting at Basement. You may also require some basics items like pliers and a small container or a cup. 

Plumbing Winterization Steps 

Follow these steps in order to winterize your home plumbing systems: 

1. Shut off the main water valve, and turn off Tankless or Regular Water Heater and Recirculation Pumps (if you have any). 
2. Open all faucets, starting from Basement. Leave the faucets in open position, and check them off your Winterization Checklist as you move from floor to floor. 
3. Flush toilets, make sure to hold the handle or flush mechanism as long as possible. This allows most of the water that’s in the tank escape into the bowl. 
4. Add some Plumbing Anti-Freeze into your kitchen, laundry and lavatory sinks. You can also add some anti-freeze into your toilet bowl and little bit into the toilet tank.  
5. Set your thermostat to at least 18 degrees Celsius. This isn’t going to rack up a big utilities bill, but it will keep your property safe. 
6. Ensure that you haven’t missed anything on your plumbing Winterization Checklist. 

You are now all set, and can safely leave for your trip. When you come back from your trip here are the steps to get everything running up again. 

1. Grab your old Winterization Checklist and create a new Checklist. 
2. Starting from the upper floors close all previously opened faucets. 
3. Turn main shut off valve, into on position. 
4. Power on Water Heater tank and Recirculation Pumps (if you have any). 
5. Go around floor to floor and insure you have no leaks anywhere. If you spot leaks call a licenced plumber. 
6. Turn up your thermostat to a warmer temperature. 
7. Run the taps to wash away the Anti-Freeze in the drains, and flush the toilets few times to clear them of Anti-Freeze.