Home & Cottage Winterizing
Do I Really Need to Winterize My Plumbing?
Absolutely. All homes, occupied or vacant, should be winterized before nighttime temperatures drop below zero each year. (At Just Ducky Plumbing we recommend winterization be completed by mid to late October at the latest.)
We all know water damage can be costly, and taking routine care of indoor and outdoor plumbing systems is essential to protecting you, your family, and your home from significant plumbing emergencies.
So it’s vital to have your home properly winterized each fall to avoid burst pipes and potentially thousands of dollars in damages.
I thought winterizing was just for cottages?
The most thorough winterizing process is just for cottages, for sure! But basic winterizing of outdoor taps is essential for protecting your plumbing at home, too.
If you’re confident, you can do this yourself (with some caveats), but you might want to contact us about our Winterization Service.
Here’s how we do it:
Home Winterizing
Regular winterizing and spring opening of your home’s outdoor taps will ensure proper operation of your valves and hose bibs (as well as preventing costly burst pipes!).
Step 1: Disconnect your hoses and store them in a shed or garage for the winter.
This protects your hose and ensures the draining process will be successful, with no water getting trapped in the system.
Step 2: We identify the type of hose bib you’re working with.
There are 2 general types: standard, and wall hydrant.
Standard hose bibs have all their moving pieces and gaskets located outside, therefore they must be shut off and drained.
Hydrant hose bibs have their gasket seat located inside the house and do not necessarily need to be drained outside. However, given our areas of high winds and extreme weather fluctuations, best practice is to isolate and drain hydrants just as with a standard hose bib.
Step 3: Leave the outside faucet in the half-open position.
This ensures all water fully drains.
Winterizing for Winter Vacations
If you’re leaving on vacation during the winter, you probably don’t need to do a full cottage-level winterization, but you should winterize inside as well. Best practice is to turn off your water heater and main water shutoff and open your taps to fully drain the system before you leave.
If no one has touched your main shutoff in some time, and it doesn’t easily turn, don’t force the valve—the risk of breaking your main shutoff valve isn’t worth the risk. Call Just Ducky Plumbing and we’ll get it moving for you.
When you return home, open the main valve back up, open a faucet at center position to run for a minute (releasing the trapped air from your system) and then turn your water heater back on.
Cottage Winterizing
Unlike with a short vacation, it’s not enough to turn off the water to your cottage and leave it for the winter. There will be water left in the pipes, and your drains will freeze, causing unwanted damages upon spring opening. Winterizing a cottage is much more in-depth and we don’t recommend cottage owners do this themselves. Here’s how we do it:
Step 1: We disconnect or isolate your system from its water and powers sources.
Pump or city connection dependent upon your system.
Step 2: We blow the remaining water out of the lines.
Most basic systems need to be blown out. Air compressors are used to pressurize the water lines and blow out any remaining water.
Step 3: We drain and isolate filter housings and U.V. systems.
Step 4: We fill all traps and toilet tanks with antifreeze.
Step 5: We fill and cycle sewage pumps (if present) with antifreeze.
Home & Cottage Winterizing
Do I Really Need to Winterize My Plumbing?
Absolutely. All homes, occupied or vacant, should be winterized before nighttime temperatures drop below zero each year. (At Just Ducky Plumbing we recommend winterization be completed by mid to late October at the latest.)
We all know water damage can be costly, and taking routine care of indoor and outdoor plumbing systems is essential to protecting you, your family, and your home from significant plumbing emergencies.
So it’s vital to have your home properly winterized each fall to avoid burst pipes and potentially thousands of dollars in damages.
I thought winterizing was just for cottages?
The most thorough winterizing process is just for cottages, for sure! But basic winterizing of outdoor taps is essential for protecting your plumbing at home, too.
If you’re confident, you can do this yourself (with some caveats), but you might want to contact us about our Winterization Service.
Here’s how we do it:
Home Winterizing
Regular winterizing and spring opening of your home’s outdoor taps will ensure proper operation of your valves and hose bibs (as well as preventing costly burst pipes!).
Step 1: Disconnect your hoses and store them in a shed or garage for the winter.
This protects your hose and ensures the draining process will be successful, with no water getting trapped in the system.
Step 2: We identify the type of hose bib you’re working with.
There are 2 general types: standard, and wall hydrant.
Standard hose bibs have all their moving pieces and gaskets located outside, therefore they must be shut off and drained.
Hydrant hose bibs have their gasket seat located inside the house and do not necessarily need to be drained outside. However, given our areas of high winds and extreme weather fluctuations, best practice is to isolate and drain hydrants just as with a standard hose bib.
Step 3: Leave the outside faucet in the half-open position.
This ensures all water fully drains.
Winterizing for Winter Vacations
If you’re leaving on vacation during the winter, you probably don’t need to do a full cottage-level winterization, but you should winterize inside as well. Best practice is to turn off your water heater and main water shutoff and open your taps to fully drain the system before you leave.
If no one has touched your main shutoff in some time, and it doesn’t easily turn, don’t force the valve—the risk of breaking your main shutoff valve isn’t worth the risk. Call Just Ducky Plumbing and we’ll get it moving for you.
When you return home, open the main valve back up, open a faucet at center position to run for a minute (releasing the trapped air from your system) and then turn your water heater back on.
Cottage Winterizing
Unlike with a short vacation, it’s not enough to turn off the water to your cottage and leave it for the winter. There will be water left in the pipes, and your drains will freeze, causing unwanted damages upon spring opening. Winterizing a cottage is much more in-depth and we don’t recommend cottage owners do this themselves. Here’s how we do it:
Step 1: We disconnect or isolate your system from its water and powers sources.
Pump or city connection dependent upon your system.
Step 2: We blow the remaining water out of the lines.
Most basic systems need to be blown out. Air compressors are used to pressurize the water lines and blow out any remaining water.