Jim Rooney On The Level

Q. What is your opinion on leaving a house without heat during the winter months? My wife and I plan to travel next winter and will to have a plumber come and winterize the water pipes but we would prefer to not have to buy propane to heat during the winter months when we will not be there. Any advice will be most appreciated.

A. I really like that you are smart enough to know that you need a real plumber to do the plumbing winterization correctly. In this day and age of foreclosed and bank owned properties, the first thing they do is turn off the power and will frequently have a firm with the nebulous title of a “property services” company come in and winterize the property’s plumbing system. When I encounter one, and I do a lot more often these days, I guarantee the prospective buyers that as soon as the water comes back on there will be a leak or leaks. I never turn on a water main alone. I want at least two or three people with me that I station at strategic locations to holler if they hear water running where it shouldn’t so I can turn it back off.

Years ago we had ice storms that drove people out of their homes because the power went out and they had no heat or water (those on wells). The mistake many of them made was to just leave and not take precautions prior to exiting. Even though they didn’t leave town, when the lights came back on and they returned home, many of them came home to disasters from pipes frozen and burst.

The degree of winterization that you want is the most drastic with the house completely powered down with respects to heat. I understand the economics. Leave certain things powered. It doesn’t take long for something to go wrong and with no-one looking after things or systems to cycle on when a sensed condition occurs, the resulting damage can be massive. The worst I remember was in fact during the summer when a house was winterized-- power off and locked up. It poured rain, the gutters overflowed, water got into the basement, the sump didn’t work and by the time I walked in the mold was thick everywhere all the way to the second level. It was a complete loss.

In winter, if the inside of the house cools way down and then we have a couple of balmy days, warm, moist outside air will migrate into the house through natural infiltration, condense and that’s the source of the musty smell closed up houses get. It’s something to avoid.

For the house to freeze and blow the hoses off the clothes-washer or break the intake valves of the dishwasher we’d have to have weather cold enough where the inside of the house would get down to 25ºF or less and that’s what we had last week so it’s a reasonable concern.

I recommend that you winterize as you plan but leave the heat way low-- say at 55ºF. If you’re on well water talk to the plumber about the best way to shut that system down temporarily. Then either prevail upon a friend or neighbor to keep an eye on things or retain the plumber or a home improvement contractor to come by and check on things now and then, especially after any heavy weather. Don’t overlook the simple security steps the lack of which might advertise to roving burglars that the house isn’t occupied. Some lights on, newspaper and mail suspended etc. If you have a monitored security system-- that’s good. If you don’t—now is the time to consider one. If not for anti-theft then for fire. It’s cheap insurance. Then, prior to your return, have the plumber come back at least two days before you come home and dewinterize the system and get the heat back up to living levels. My sister, who has summer place in Vermont, has to warm up the house for about eight hours if she opens the house for the holidays just to get the wood and walls of the house warmed up and be comfortable. You don’t want to come home to a cold house.

Keep the mail coming. If you've got a question, tip, or comment let me know. Write "On The Level," c/o The Capital, P.O. Box 3407, Annapolis, MD 21403 or e-mail me at jimrooney@jimrooneyonthelevel.com or inspektor@aol.com.