Winterizing Your Second Home

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

August 29, 2002

Owning a second home that stands vacant for a large portion of the winter means several important tasks must be completed before cold weather arrives. Two of the most important are protecting the plumbing and heating systems - "winterizing" them - against the cold.

In the plumbing system, water is turned off at the meter or before it enters the home, and an air compressor is used to blow water from the supply pipes. A special antifreeze - RV antifreeze designed for drinking systems - is poured into drain traps and the traps of drained toilets. Appliances that hold water, such as water heaters, automatic dishwashers and clothes washers, also are drained.

However, completely closing down the heating system in the cold winter months can cause problems. Over several winters, thermal expansion and contraction generated by fluctuating temperature and humidity can damage the furniture, walls, flooring and even the foundation of an unheated home.

"Some vacation homes are permanent homes, and these homes were not designed to be without heat," says Mark Pierce of the Cornell Cooperative Extension's department of design and environmental analysis. Pierce says that in some cases concrete foundations of unheated permanent homes can crack because of the freeze-thaw cycle. "I would advise that heat be left on year- round in permanent homes," Pierce says.

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Steve Trapani, a master plumber who has closed vacation homes on the North Shore for more than 20 years, agrees. "The problem is a lot of people don't want to pay what it costs in fuel to heat a home during the winter," he says. Still, nearly all of his customers, he says, choose to close their heating systems for winter.

Trapani, who owns Trapani Plumbing & Heating in Shirley, says that most of the homes he winterizes have oil-fired boilers with baseboard heat. To keep these oil-hot water systems running during winter, antifreeze is added to the system (usually at a 1-to-1 ratio) to prevent the pipes from freezing.

Newer thermostats and climate- control devices can keep heating systems operating at 40 degrees in unoccupied homes. (Standard thermostats usually operate no lower than 55 degrees.) Some climate-control technology enables heat systems to be monitored by computers. Other technology enables water, temperature and humidity to be monitored in vacation homes by phone.

Primitive technology (translation: less-expensive devices) is an option. Those who hire a neighbor or professional housesitter to keep an eye on the vacation home can look for items such as Honeywell's Winter Watchman (about $30 in home centers and hardware stores). The Winter Watchman is a temperature sensor that plugs into a wall outlet. When the temperature drops below a certain setting (the unit can be set for 30 degrees, 40 degrees, 50 degrees or 60 degrees), the Winter Watchman turns on a common house lamp to alert the neighbor or housesitter that the heat should be turned on. The more high-tech monitors hooked up to computers and phones can run $300 to $500, excluding installation. These systems should be installed by professional plumbers or heating and cooling technicians, say Pierce and Trapani. For that matter, winterizing the vacation home is best left to the pros, too.

Winterizing a home - taking care of the plumbing and heating systems - generally costs $175 to $250, Trapani says. Cost depends on the size of the home, the number of zones in a heating system and appliances that hold water. "That price should include a warranty," Trapani says. "Meaning if a pipe bursts, then the plumber should repair it for no charge." Opening the systems in the spring or summer runs $65 to $85.

There's more to winterizing, however, than plumbing and heating. Other items, including the roof and electrical system, should be examined. Repair loose shingles and siding, hanging gutters, missing flashing and broken windows. Also, use expandable foam or caulk to seal crevices and openings on exterior walls. Unplug appliances, and clean refrigerators, freezers and ovens.

A thorough winterizing should begin with a checklist, specific maintenance tasks for parts of the home. Sample winterizing checklists may be found on several extension Web sites, including the Michigan State University Extension homepage (www.msue.msu.edu) and the University of Wisconsin Extension (www1.uwex.edu).

Finally, don't overlook a thorough interior cleaning, especially in the pantry, cupboards, kitchen and eating areas. Leaving crumbs and food scraps is an invitation for insects or varmints to use your summer home while you're away.