To winterize a vacant house in Massachusetts, either keep the heat on and have someone check the house regularly, or shut off the water and drain every pipe, the water heater, the boiler loops if heat will be off, the toilets and the traps, adding plumbing antifreeze to traps. Check your insurance policy's vacancy rules first. Pipes already burst in an empty house? Call (413) 603-1274.
Option 1: keep it heated and watched
- Thermostat at 55°F or higher, higher in older homes
- Oil tank filled and on automatic delivery, or gas service confirmed
- Main water valve shut, faucets opened to drain, unless the house will be used
- Someone inside the house at least every few days in cold weather, and after storms
- A freeze alarm or smart thermostat that alerts you if the temperature drops
Option 2: drain it completely
- Shut the main water valve, or have the water shut off at the street.
- Open every faucet, hot and cold, and the outdoor faucets.
- Drain the water heater and turn off its gas or power.
- Flush toilets, then remove the water left in tanks and bowls.
- Pour plumbing antifreeze into sink, tub and floor drain traps and toilet bowls.
- Disconnect and drain the washing machine, dishwasher and fridge lines.
- If the heat will be off, the boiler and heating loops must be drained or filled with heating antifreeze by a heating technician.
- Label the main valve and leave a note that the house is winterized.
If the building has a sprinkler system, do not drain it without the sprinkler contractor and the fire department. Shutting it down leaves the building unprotected.
Check the insurance first
Many homeowners policies limit or exclude freezing damage if a home was vacant and heat was not maintained or the water was not shut off and drained. Some also change coverage after a home has been vacant for a set number of days. Read the vacancy clause or ask your agent before the house sits empty. See is a burst pipe covered if the house was vacant. General information only.
Who needs this in Chicopee
Estate homes waiting to sell, rental units between tenants, snowbird homes and properties being renovated. Empty units in two- and three-deckers are a special risk: if the empty unit freezes, the water damages the occupied units too. See pipe freeze protection.
Do not forget the heating system
Draining the water lines does not drain a hot water boiler loop. If the heat will be off, the heating system also needs to be drained or filled with a proper heating antifreeze by a heating professional. Toilets and drain traps need draining or nontoxic plumbing antifreeze so they do not crack. Post a note on the main valve and the boiler saying the house is winterized, so no one turns them back on without checking.
Questions
Can I just shut the water off and turn the heat down?
Shutting the water off limits the damage, but water left in the pipes, traps and heating loops can still freeze and crack them if the house gets cold.
How often should a vacant house be checked?
Your policy may say. In cold snaps, every day or two is safer.
Vacant house with a burst pipe? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee. See house temperature when away.