I recently purchased a weekend house in the Hudson Valley. New to home ownership but need to prepare for the winter. I have a rough plan to ensure the pipes don't burst, especially while we are not at the house. Is my plan sensible, what else should I do?
Setup: One level house with basement. Three zone boiler with baseboard heating, two zones on main level and one in basement.
Plan:
- Leave heat on during week at 50 deg in all three zones. This should keep all interior spaces warm enough barring a power outage.
- Insulate all water pipes, both potable water and heating.
- Install stop and waste valves to remove water from pipes that feed unused bathroom/sink.
- When leaving for week shut off main line to minimize damage in event of a burst pipe.
Thanks.
Best Answer
You would normally put a stop-waste valve after the main shut-off and bleed the entire house in one go. I'd bleed all of the potable water lines regardless. Standing water in pipes will still freeze and expand to the point where it can and will burst the pipes. Then when you visit your home and turn the water on, you are treated to an unexpected flood and have the joy of trying to figure out where the break is. Been there done that. One neat setup in my mothers house is there is a standard spigot teed off after the main shutoff. Makes bleeding easy and fast and adds a bonus hook up for a garden hose or quick filling of buckets.
If you plan an extended leave of absence, consider draining your water heater and turn the power/gas to it off. Make sure you fill it and bleed the entire system before you turn it back on!