How do you winterize?

I have a vacant house with all utilities (heat + water) turned on in my name. I am tempted to turn the water off at the street meter and then drain the pipes. Leave the heat off. Plus, all of my piping is Pex now.

What would you do? --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Rick [IN]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:13 AM
Message:

Leave a trickle of water running from both hot and cold faucets when temperatures get in in teens.

Open all cabinet doors and leave some heat on.

Insulate all water pipes. --50.229.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:17 AM
Message:

Rick,

Leave the heat on? I am paying the power bill now. House is all electric too. --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by MC [PA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:23 AM
Message:

You will want it on to at least 55 degrees. The money you spend on the electric will be nothing compared to repairs later due to the weather. --73.230.xxx.xx

How do you winterize? (by Ken [NY]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:27 AM
Message:

It takes a lot more than 23 to freeze inside and pex is forgiving.I dont winterize anything,i turn the heat on,at worst it is $200-$300 a month even here up north --72.231.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:29 AM
Message:

If the water pipes underneath the house have no water pressure or water inside them, why leave the heat on??? --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:36 AM
Message:

You all must enjoy paying power bills. Do you pay them for your tenants too? --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by WMH [NC]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:10 AM
Message:

I think turning it off at the street and draining the pipes is a good idea. This is what they do on vacant foreclosed properties, right?

But do you think you won't get it rented soon? --50.82.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by RTR [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:18 AM
Message:

I would turn water off and not worried about it . after all it was 68 just yesterday . The ground is just to warm --99.111.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Steve [MA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:36 AM
Message:

Roy, if it's going to be cold for an extended period we will leave the heat set on 50, open base cabinet doors, aim an oscillating fan to blow air into sink bases & vanities, shut off water at the meter, open faucets and add antifreeze or drain all the traps. Some of the places that have boilers we'll even add anti freeze to them. In the last several years I've repaired 2 different homes where the clients were away & their heat failed resulting in freeze ups. One cost over $200K to put things back together & the other was almost $160K.

If you're not going to leave the heat on then in addition to shutting off the water at the street, you should also either drain / vacuum any drain line traps in the house including the toilets and leave all of the faucets open to allow a way for any trapped water to escape. If it's going to be a real prolonged cold spell you might want to think about draining the water heater. --71.174.xxx.xx

How do you winterize? (by mb [GA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:37 AM
Message:

open all cabinet doors around sinks. Close all outside spigots and drain. Leave heat on 65. When temps get to low 20's and teens leave trickle from sinks. --99.103.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by RR78 [VA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:40 AM
Message:

Chances are you will be ok. Even if it does get to 23 degrees outside. Good chance will not get that low in crawl space.

But to me it is not worth the chance. And the trouble blowing out the water lines. Pex is great but still has a chance.

Paying to keep heat on 50 - 55 degrees is cheap insurance.

Besides water. A lot of building materials inside a house can expand/contract like flooring, drywall etc...

And how was your pex installed. Doe make a little difference. Sharkbites or the poloy fittings dont do as well in freezing temps. Also if you have any sections of pex pipe shorter than about 4 inches.

--73.40.xx.xx

How do you winterize? (by RB [MI]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 9:52 AM
Message:

Air compressor,

shop vac,

garden hose,

RV anti-freeze.

--199.192.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by DJ [VA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 10:11 AM
Message:

To truly winterize, you need to do more than close the water valve & open the faucets. You need to also put antifreeze in the lines, because there are low areas where there will still be significant water in the lines to freeze. Then you'll have to purge all that out later.

PEX is good, and has some give, but it has its limits.

I prefer to use an incandescent bulb (the type that produce heat) and leave it on inside the kitchen and bath cabinets by the plumbing. This only uses a little energy, compared to the whole house heated, but it is enough to warm the pipes in mild-freeze temperatures. --70.160.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Robert J [CA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 10:12 AM
Message:

My cabin has to be winterized with every visitor or there's going to be hell to pay in damage. Turn-off the water and drain the pipes... Turn off the gas, but leave the power going. --47.155.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by DJ [VA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 10:12 AM
Message:

If this house has a crawl space or basement, I would also put a couple bulbs down there - right on the pipes. --70.160.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by 6x6 [TN]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 10:38 AM
Message:

Is this a home that you are not renting?

If it is going to be vacant all winter then I would winterize all the plumbing and cut off all utilities. I googled it to do my mothers house when I realized that she was not getting out of the nursing home.

If you are planning on putting a renter in it fairly soon then I would just leave the heat on 50 and open the cabinet doors and make sure all vents are open and a clean filter. The HVAC will also keep the air fresh and moisture down. --73.120.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Ray-N-Pa [PA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 10:59 AM
Message:

wow - talk about a change in culture. Up here when the weather is going to MINUS 23 for a few days, then we do added measures to make sure you don't have frozen water pipes. It typically takes a few days of bitter cold to kick in.

When it is 23 outside around - we winterize up here by just going down there where it is warm.

I guess it is all relative.

You have a bunch of ideas presented to you and they are all valid --24.101.xxx.xx

How do you winterize? (by Nicole [PA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:00 AM
Message:

I keep all utilities on in my name. Having heat set low (45-50) is fine other than the dead of winter when it may be single digits for a few days in a row. Doesn't cost that much and how are you going to work inside a property with temps in say the 40s. Keeping it set low, you can bump it up when someone is there to work and it heats up in no time. --72.70.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Allym [NJ]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:28 AM
Message:

It takes about 3 days for my brick house to get cold effects inside mostly a draft across the floor in the heated house. How many days will it be cold? If only two, then no problem. Earth is very warm after fall temps. Bird bath on the ground won't freeze. Bird bath up high freezes. --71.104.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by S i d [MO]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:35 AM
Message:

I did some research on this, if your utility rates are anywhere close to mine, a trickle of water from each faucet in a 2-bed, 1-bath house will only cost you about $1 a day. Be sure all drains that aren't getting the trickle have RV grade anti-freeze in the p-trap. Also, winterize the toilet tank and shut off the valve and drain the supply line.

I'd get a digital t-stat if you don't have one already and set it at 50, though. Extreme cold over long periods can cause problems with other household materials, such as Allure and glue down flooring.

I've been inside a home with no utilities on after 3 days when it was in the 20s outside at night. It was still above freezing when I went in the morning...mid 30s. As long as it gets above freezing during the day, most houses won't ice up solid. Definitely shut the water off at the street , though, if you expect prolonged below freezing temps.

But really, the best way to avoid the cost and the risks is to get a qualified tenant in pronto. Market like crazy, lock box showings, allow pets, cater to smokers, etc. Find that niche and fill it. Vacancies right now in my market fly off the shelf even during winter in about 1 week. For that length of time, I'd just set the temp at 55, trick the outside wall faucets and call it a day. Cost will be about $20-$30 per week. Not worth a bust and a flood to be that cheap. --107.216.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by MikeA [TX]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:49 AM
Message:

I had a house I was working on last winter that didn't have heat. I found that the house would loose about 8-10 degree's overnight if it was in the teens outside, much better than I was expecting. If it was in the upper 20's it would only loose about 5 degrees. You should be good for 2-3 days of constant below freezing temperatures without doing a thing. If it warms during the day and the sun is out you get a lot of radiant heating that takes hours to dissipate at night. At most, I Would turn the water off at the street and crack open a spigot to take the pressure off of it. --64.130.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Allym [NJ]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:50 AM
Message:

Arizona fraud hearings on OAN --71.104.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 11:54 AM
Message:

Sid,

Okay Sid,..this house does have Allure in one room and VCT which is glued down in another. I would not want that to buckle with cold inside temps so yes I can see now where leaving the heat on would be the thing to do.

BTW, this is the 'cat house' I posted about last week. Most of the cat urine odor is now gone (used undiluted 5% vinegar), but I am having the sub-floors replaced in both bedrooms. My 80 year old handyman is working on it right now. I hope to have this house ready to rent by mid-December. --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Ken [NY]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 12:03 PM
Message:

If you have your handyman working on it now why would you consider winterizing it? the guy needs water and heat? --72.231.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 12:33 PM
Message:

ken

My handyman does not sleep there. Yes, he has heat and water during the day but at night when the temps drop to 18 degrees, that is my concern.

BTW, each room of this house has either a 1,500 or 3000 watt electric heater with a fan which is recessed in the wall between 2 studs. I sort of feel pity for my tenants who have to pay the power bill with this type of heat source. All of my tenants want houses that are 'all electric' and this is how I do it without having to install a $4,000.00 all electric Heat Pump. --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Tom [ME]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 1:22 PM
Message:

Ally, T lost. Get over it. --98.11.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by 6x6 [TN]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 2:21 PM
Message:

Roy, how much more rent could you get if you had a HVAC unit and more efficient home?

How much would it increase the value of your home?

How much would it help on taxes?

Would it get you better tenants?

Maybe it would pay off in the end. --73.120.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Landlord ofthe Flies [TX]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 2:30 PM
Message:

Hose bibbs: Unhook hoses (very important) and cover hose bibb with a cover or insulated sock from 3M. I like the socks. They last years before sun rots them.

Sprinklers: Turn off water and blow lines. We don't have to do that in Dallas because ground doesn't freeze that far down.

Pool: Install freeze sensor that keeps motor running when temps dip to freezing levels.

Inside: Leave heater on and open cabinets and doors so heat can travel whole house.

Crawlspace: You can buy heating cords that you can wrap around the pipes. Some only turn on when weather is cold. I have them wrapped around my outdoor sink lines.

Fountains: Leave fountain running whole time. Check to make sure ice doesn't freeze it solid and pump runs dry. Leaving pump off could cause lines to freeze and break or damage pump housing. --108.69.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Ken [NY]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 2:38 PM
Message:

If your guy is working there you need to leave the heat on,if you try to turn it off at night when he turns it on the next morning the walls and everything will need to warm up before they will take paint and other materials properly.Dont be so cheap,it will just end up costing more for labor anyway --72.231.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by T [IN]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 2:58 PM
Message:

Leave the heat on UNLESS it will be like 3 months until you get to work on the place. Otherwise, you will spend 1/2 a day winterizing correctly just to undue it later.

Honestly, I have one property with the heat set at 50, walls wide open right now. doesn't bother me at all and I'm in IN. talking 1-6" snow next 24 hours.... --76.77.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by plenty [MO]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 3:02 PM
Message:

What T lost? --172.58.xx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by NE [PA]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 3:40 PM
Message:

I wouldn't winterize a house unless it was a fixer upper I was selling as-is. Just leave the heat on. Extreme cold is no good for a house just like extreme heat with no AC. Buildings are meant to be conditioned. --70.44.xxx.xx

How do you winterize? (by Small potatoes [NY]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 3:54 PM
Message:

I think if you keep it at 50 you will be fine. You can always drain faucets on exterior walls, or trickle water. Consider heat tape for the main supply in the unconditioned space. I would not turn off the street valve. They have a steel spring prone to break and that is an expensive excavation job. The fan style wall heaters do not provide the comfort of electric baseboard. It just feels like they blow cold air around. --172.58.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 5:14 PM
Message:

6x6,

I have taken quotes from HVAC contractors to install a Heat Pump in this house. Since new ductwork would be needed, the average total installed cost would around $4,500. Plus, the house would need to be better insulated which is just another cost.

Currently the house rents for $600.00, however, having Central H/A would only bring in an additional $75.00-$100 in rent. What really hurts this house (rent wise) is it only has 2 small bedrooms. The best feature of this house is not the house itself but the neighborhood. It sits in a nice Class B minus neighborhood. If you look at the house from the street it appears to be a 'shot-gun' house. --68.63.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Robert,OntarioCanada [ON]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 6:11 PM
Message:

Special food grade anti freeze can be installed in pipes where pipes will not freeze. Most RV use this type of anti freeze. A lot depends on the level insulation where a well insulated house will stay warm a lot longer. --147.194.xxx.xx

How do you winterize? (by Tom [ME]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 6:49 PM
Message:

DJT. Ally was changing the subject.

If I were in Alabama, I would drain system and shut down heat in a minute. Why does he even need yo ask? --98.11.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Ken [NY]) Posted on: Nov 30, 2020 8:01 PM
Message:

Tom,if i were in Alabama i would probably still be turning on the AC --72.231.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by LindaJ [NY]) Posted on: Dec 1, 2020 10:58 AM
Message:

Even up here in NY without any sunshine I would still leave the heat on very low - 50 degrees. If the plumbing is in a crawl space or outside, I would trickle the water on well below freezing nights.

The thing to remember with water pipes... there is some thermal mass, and the water will not freeze solid as soon as it gets below 32 degrees.... It will take a while depending on whether it is ambient air or wind blowing on it. Running water does not freeze as easily, so even a trickle will help.

Not sure how energy costs down there, but how about a propane wall heater or fireplace/stove in the living room. That might help to keep some of it warmer without the electric running. --108.4.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by PG [SC]) Posted on: Dec 1, 2020 11:10 AM
Message:

ROY

For teens or lower - Turn the water off - set your wall heaters at the very minimum.

Your target should be about 50f in kitchen and bath - if plumbing lines are on inside walls you may be able to get buy with 40/45f - make sure your crawl space is sealed up, but not to much that your humidity control is lost.

For leaving the water on - drips work for extended nights in the teens and 30/40f in the day time.

--99.197.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Nellie [ME]) Posted on: Dec 1, 2020 12:22 PM
Message:

Be sure the basement windows are closed and locked, the oil tanks are full , furnace cleanings done, and that corner of foundation that had a frozen pipe 3 years ago has plastic around it. Done. --70.16.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Posted on: Dec 3, 2020 2:27 AM
Message:

Roy,

It does not take much money to run 2 small elec heaters to take the chill off. You only have to raise the air from 23 to 33.

AND...also know the fluctuation of temps in an unheated house can case the paint to peel, doors to mis-align, trim to warp, etc.

We turn the main water valve off to stop any floods if something does crack.

BRAD

PS The energy savings people tell me it's least expensive to leave the heat on low. Keeps the mass of the walls etc at an even temp. Otherwise we have to pay to warm everything back up.

BRAD --73.102.xxx.xxx

How do you winterize? (by Cjo’h [CT]) Posted on: Dec 7, 2020 10:57 PM
Message:

Oh and don’t forget tempers to flair. ......................charlie..................??? ??? or maybe it’s flare,I really don’t know that’s what happens when you don’t go to high school..........Oh! Well things could be worse.......well couldn’t they be? --32.214.xxx.xx

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