Winterizing an empty house

[KLF]

Fiance and I just moved into new digs together, but her house up in Sanford ME is still for sale. We all know how the housing sales are in the tank right now, so it could be awhile before this house gets sold. It's about 35 miles away, so I don't wanna be making a lot of trips up there over the winter to check on it. Obviously, I'd also like to save as much on the heating bill as possible.

Agent says it's not a good idea to try to drain everything and shut off the heat, makes it harder to sell if by chance we do get an interested buyer, plus it's really hard to get both the domestic water and heating (forced hot water baseboard) systems totally drained. There's also a hot tub that I'm not sure will totally drain.

I'm worried about the possibility of the boiler conking out in the middle of the night during a cold snap, then it's days before we find it. Here's what I'm thinking of doing:

* drain all the cold & hot supplies, as far back to the main shutoff as possible. Blow compressed air backwards thru the faucets to get all the water out.

* put a small electric heater in the basement on a thermostat near the main water entrance to protect it, or maybe heat tape.

* drain all the water out of the heating system, replace it with RV anti-freeze. Not sure how I'm gonna get the anti-freeze into the system, but I guess look for the air vent at the top of the system and pour it in there with a funnel. Then turn the thermostats as low as they go, but not shut the system off.

Domestic hot water is via heat exchanger on the boiler. Will it hurt the heat exchanger to be empty?

Will this work? Thoughts from anyone else that has been down this road?

 

[photogod]

I'm not sure about the anti freeze in the heating system. You might end up using fifty or more gallons. There is a drain cock at the bottom of the holding tank or boiler that you can open. Then open the vents farthest from the boiler, work your way to the closest and almost all the water should drain. That should get 90% of the fluid out. Do the same with your water heater and the faucet farthest from it, then open one faucet at a time while the water heater is draining and your good to go. You should pour RV antifreeze down the drains and into the toilet and flush it with the water off and add some more anti freeze to the bowl. We do this to our little guest house on the winter and it works every time. Open up the faucets with the water main shut off and open the lowest point in the water system, typically the drain on the water heater. Then add antifreeze to the goose necks in the drains and toilets. Don't forget to add to the tanks on the toilets as well.

Our friend has a place in northern MN and they decided not to drain the pipes last winter and just keep the heat on 45. Well, Murphy's law kicked in and the furnace went on the fritz. They replaced three toilets and all the goose necks in the place along with tearing out drywall and replacing 31 cracked pipes. As luck would have it he did turn off the well pump. Saved him from having to replace the foundation.

If you live within an hour or three you can get a devise that will call your phone and alert you if the inside temp falls below a pre determined limit. Then you can keep everything as is and stay alert for the phone call. It will call if your electricity goes off as well. You just need a phone that plugs directly into the phone jack and not an electrical outlet

Good luck.

 

[KLF]

Spent some time at the house this afternoon, moving some more stuff out. Problem gets more complicated, there are NO drains at the low points of the water pipes. There is no tank-style water heater, it's plumbed off the boiler, so I can't use the tank drain. It's like they never planned to have to drain the place. Never seen a house with city water that didn't have a drain cock below the water meter, not sure how you're ever supposed to service the meter. Just one more screwy thing about this house, there's not one single ground wire in the entire house, it was built in the 50's before they were code I guess.

I also looked for air vents for the heating system, couldn't spot any but I didn't get a chance to look inside every baseboard unit.

The auto-dial device is a good idea, except we shut the phone off 2 months ago.

Gaaaad I wish someone would buy this place...

 

[Toyo FJ40]

I've winterized a few houses for customers. I've always used a air compressor to blow out the likes and if it looks like the system will hold water I'll pump in a few gals of propylene glycol and blow it through the system till I see it at every faucet (it's red) Then dump some down every fixture to protect the traps. And flush the toilets and put glycol in the tank and the bowl. You can put propylene glycol in the boiler, depending on the boiler size you would only need about 6 to 8 gals to protect it down to 0 degrees. Don't use car antifreeze because of the chance of someone drinking it accidentally. Propylene glycol is safe to use in water systems and boilers.


Kevin

 

[KLF]

Propylene glycol is safe to use in water systems and boilers.

I assume this is the pink stuff they sell in stores for winterizing RVs? That's what I was planning to use.

 

[Toyo FJ40]

I assume this is the pink stuff they sell in stores for winterizing RVs? That's what I was planning to use.

I'd go to a plumbing supply house. I don't know if the rv antifreeze is rated for boiler systems.



Kevin

 

[KLF]

Talked to my agent today about it, he says most heating system contractors can do the winterizing for a fee, some oil companies do it too. The advantage to paying for them to do it is they also certify that it won't freeze. If it does, it's on them to fix it.

 

[EricG]

Talked to my agent today about it, he says most heating system contractors can do the winterizing for a fee, some oil companies do it too. The advantage to paying for them to do it is they also certify that it won't freeze. If it does, it's on them to fix it.

Exactly what I was coming in here to say.

What's the rental market like there? May be worth looking into that route, if for nothing else then to wait out the current downturn.