pegwillen Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 I have been prepping my water system by simply shutting the pump and turning on faucets to drain pipes, which requires that the furnace (oil, hot water baseboard) be running all winter to prevent pipe freeze since there is residual water in the system. I have been wondering if there is a method for prepping a household system for prolonged freezing temps like we do for RV prep, e.g. blowing lines and antifreeze? The house is in Maine and left for six months, and I have to hire someone to go in and check that the furnace isn’t having any leaking water issues, and just not having it have to run would be one less niggling thing to think about. My furnace guy brushed off the idea. Anyone with some experience/opinion on the subject ? 16' Taylor Coach TT/Silverado tow vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRP Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 At my summer home in the Colorado mountains, I shut everything off when I leave for the winter and pump RV antifreeze into all the pipes. I'm on my own water well, so I begin with shutting down the well, draining the pressure tank & well piping and closing the main line feed valve. Then I drain the hot water heater and open/close valves I have installed to bypass the hot water heater. Then I use a submersible pump in a 5 gal bucket full of RV antifreeze, I connect the output of that pump via a custom made Y hose to the HOT & Cold threaded outlets that normally connect to my washing machine hoses, and pump the RV antifreeze into the house piping through those lines. I open each faucet (including outdoor faucets) until the pink stuff comes out. I manually pour RV antifreeze into each sink for the P traps and each toilet and the tub drain. It usually takes me about 8 gal of RV antifreeze to complete the job. I inherited this system from the previous owners and its worked well for me, in an area that gets down to -20 F over the winter. Many of the neighbors who are also snowbirds use a similar sys to leave their homes turned off & vacant all winter. Most of us are heated from propane tanks in the back yard and don't trust a propane fired furnace to be left on unattended for 6 months. Those with electric heat realize that the power goes off frequently due to winter storms and doesn't always come back on without tripping a breaker. I've seen no ill effects from leaving the house unheated all winter over the 6 yrs I've owned it, The previous owners did this for the 10 yrs they owned it. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 The method JRP uses is common in Colorado summer homes and cabins. However if you have hot water baseboard heat it will require a little more detail. The heat system will need to be dealt with in addition to the water. Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 7 hours ago, pegwillen said: I have been wondering if there is a method for prepping a household system for prolonged freezing temps like we do for RV prep, e.g. blowing lines and antifreeze? Yes, we do it every winter. We hire a plumber who comes in an blows out all the lines (the water is turned off outside and the water heater is drained, of course). He then puts RV antifreeze down all the drains, in the toilets, and in the dish washer and washing machine. It costs us about $120 to have this done...but it would cost us MUCH more in electrical bills to leave the heat on, even at the lowest setting during the 4-5 months we're gone. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegwillen Posted February 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 15 hours ago, LindaH said: Yes, we do it every winter. We hire a plumber who comes in an blows out all the lines (the water is turned off outside and the water heater is drained, of course). He then puts RV antifreeze down all the drains, in the toilets, and in the dish washer and washing machine. It costs us about $120 to have this done...but it would cost us MUCH more in electrical bills to leave the heat on, even at the lowest setting during the 4-5 months we're gone. Do you have hot water baseboard heat? 16' Taylor Coach TT/Silverado tow vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 1 hour ago, pegwillen said: Do you have hot water baseboard heat? No. We have an electric furnace with an outside heat pump. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRP Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 I missed that you said you have hot water baseboard heat. I've never had that type and don't even know what it is, which is probably why I skipped right over it. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyretired Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 Hot water base board heat typically is heated with a boiler and uses pumps to move the heated water to heat diffusers in each room. The hot water pipes are usually purged of air and pressurized. The water in the system would of course need to be removed or modified to keep from freezing. While I have dealt with this heat I am not qualified to suggest a method to winterize it. Hot water baseboard heat is not uncommon so it would seem a professional could be found to provide some help. Of course the thought of leaving a home unheated during winter is not something everyone has seen or imagined. It may take a little searching but I would think it could be done. If your home uses a boiler maybe the manufacturer could provide some insight. Randy 2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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