If you enjoyed the cottage this summer, you may be approaching the fall close-up with mixed feelings.
After all, it was a slow start, between the cold and biting insects before the temperatures moved into high gear. There were no major weather events. Water levels returned to normal. Even the wildfire smoke was minimal compared to last year. And there were no major hydro outages.
It was a normal summer, except for the high gas prices, which were a deterrent for some.
However, winter is on its way, and if the close-up isn’t done correctly, it will be a problematic spring.
Is draining the water necessary?
Cottagers that visit from time to time throughout the winter will still need to winterize against freezing. Pipe insulation and a heat tracer inside the water lines will help. Keeping the heat on inside the cottage at a low temperature will help too, unless the hydro goes out. Then the risk of freezing pipes goes up.
To close the cottage for the winter, drain the entire plumbing system – the hot and cold water lines and any appliances that use water. Also, the filter system, hot water tank, and water pump will need to be drained.
Leave all the taps, levers, or knobs, inside and out, open. That includes any outside taps for the garden hose. Disconnect the hose from the outside tap and drain it.
Flush the toilet twice to remove water from the back of the toilet and the bowl. There may be some water remaining, which will need to be plunged or removed with a sponge. Also, disconnect the small water supply line at the side of the toilet to allow it to drain, and reconnect before adding antifreeze to the tank and bowl.
Add plumbing antifreeze where it’s required, including sink and shower drains.
If you have a sewage pump, do a final pump to the septic bed. Drain the pipe, if applicable, and then add antifreeze to the pump chamber. Run the pump with an adequate amount of antifreeze in the line. Turn off the power.
What if someone uses the cottage after shutdown?
If there is the potential for anyone visiting or staying at the cottage after the water system has been winterized, prevent inadvertent use by taping the toilet seat down. Also, turn off the breaker and the water heater switch so that the element won’t burn out. Tape the breaker shut and mark it “OFF”.
If there are plumbing lines that extend to outbuildings such as a shed or workshop, bunkie, cabin, or second suite, or stand-alone garage, drain and add antifreeze where needed.
Add a barrier or marker on top of the ground, where it can be seen above the snow, to prevent people and vehicles from going over buried plumbing lines and driving the cold below the frost line.
Do the same for a septic system that has a small chamber to pump wastewater to a septic bed. After winterizing it, place a barrier or marker on it, high enough so that it can be seen above the snow to prevent people from walking on it.
If you are thinking of having your septic tanks pumped out before the end of the season, leave it until the spring so that it has time to ‘work’ again. If it is ‘working ’, it will generate some heat rather than freezing and potentially cracking the tank.
Call Plumbtech Plumbing at 705-722-7209 for all your cottage water needs. Plumbtech takes care of a lot of cottage openings and closings for owners every year.
The Barrie-based business serves Simcoe County, Muskoka, and Parry Sound areas.