How to winterize a vacant home or cottage in Ontario

What goes wrong in an empty house

The classic winter loss goes like this. The furnace stops on a cold night: a failed part, an empty oil tank, a power cut. Nobody is there to notice. Within a day or two a pipe freezes and splits. When the heat returns or the weather warms, water runs from that pipe, at full pressure, for days or weeks. The damage reaches every floor below.

Two things prevent it: making sure there is no water under pressure to escape, and making sure someone finds out quickly if the heat fails.

Read your insurance policy first

Policies differ, but three conditions come up again and again.

Freezing while away. Many home policies exclude water damage from freezing during the usual heating season if you have been away for more than a stated number of consecutive days, often four, unless you arranged for a competent person to enter the home daily to check that the heat was on, or you shut off the water and drained all the pipes and appliances.

Vacancy. Coverage is commonly restricted or ends once a home has been vacant for a set period, often 30 consecutive days. Vacant usually means the occupants have moved out with no intention of returning, which is different from being away on holiday. Water damage and vandalism are typically the first coverages to be removed.

Seasonal and secondary homes. Cottages are usually insured on more limited terms, with their own rules about checks and winter shutdown.

Call your broker before you leave. Ask exactly what is required, how often the home must be checked, and whether a vacancy permit or a different policy is needed. Get the answer in writing, and keep a record of every visit.

Option 1: keep the heat on

Suitable for a house you are leaving for weeks, where someone can check on it.

• Set the thermostat no lower than about 13 to 15 degrees Celsius. Lower settings leave pipes in outside walls and cold corners at risk.
• Have the furnace serviced and the filter changed before you go. Make sure there is enough oil or propane, with automatic delivery arranged.
• Shut off the main water valve even though the heat is on. With the supply off, a split pipe can release only the water already in the system. Open a tap briefly to release the pressure.
• Turn the water heater down to its vacation or pilot setting, or switch off an electric one at the breaker once the water is off.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls.
• Leave interior doors open so that heat circulates.
• Arrange for someone to go inside, not just drive past, as often as your policy requires. They should check that it is warm, look in the basement and around plumbing, and know where the shut-off is and who to call.
• Fit a temperature and water alarm that sends an alert to a phone. Useful, but it does not usually replace a visit for insurance purposes.

Option 2: shut down and drain

Suitable for a cottage or a house left without heat. The aim is to leave no water anywhere that can freeze. A plumber can do this for you, and should if the house has a hot water or radiant heating system.

1. Shut off the water at the main valve. For a well, switch off the pump at the breaker.
2. Drain the supply lines. Open every tap, hot and cold, starting at the top of the house and finishing at the lowest point. Open the drain valves on the system.
3. Blow out the lines with compressed air if possible. Low spots and long horizontal runs hold water.
4. Drain the water heater, with its power or gas off first.
5. Drain the pressure tank, pump and any filters, softeners and treatment equipment, following the manufacturers’ instructions.
6. Toilets. Flush to empty the tanks, then sponge out what remains in the tank and bowl.
7. Protect the traps. Every drain has a trap that holds water. Pour plumbing antifreeze, the non-toxic propylene glycol kind sold for the purpose, into each sink, tub, shower, floor drain and toilet bowl. Never use automotive antifreeze.
8. Appliances. Drain the washing machine, dishwasher, ice maker and fridge water line as their manuals direct. These hold water in pumps and valves.
9. Outside taps. Shut their inside valves, open the taps and drain. Disconnect hoses.
10. Leave taps open.

Hot water heating systems, in-floor heating and sprinkler systems need a specialist. They cannot simply be drained without consequences.

Also do, either way

• Outside: clean eavestroughs, check the roof, and trim branches that could come down under snow and ice
• Sump pump: test it, and make sure the discharge line will not freeze. A power cut alarm is worthwhile.
• Unplug electronics and small appliances
• Empty the fridge and freezer if the power will be off, and prop the doors open
• Remove food that attracts rodents, and close up entry points
• Chimney and fireplace: close the damper
• Security: lock up, use timers on lights, stop mail and arrange snow clearing so that the house looks lived in
• Tell a neighbour, and leave contact numbers and a key with the person checking

For houses that are for sale or between tenants

A house emptied for sale is vacant in the insurance sense from the day the occupants leave. Tell your insurer straight away. Estate properties are the same: an executor should notify the insurer promptly after a death, because the policy’s vacancy conditions begin to apply.

Coming back

If the heat was left on: open the main valve slowly, with a tap open to let air out, then walk round and check every fixture, under every sink and in the basement for leaks. Turn the water heater back up.

If the house was drained: close all taps and drain valves. Turn the water on slowly, and check the whole system for leaks as it fills. Refill the water heater completely before turning its power or gas back on, or the element will burn out. Flush the antifreeze from traps and toilets. Run the taps for a few minutes before drinking the water.

If you find a frozen or burst pipe

Shut the main valve, and do not use an open flame to thaw a pipe. See burst pipe: what to do and frozen pipes.

More: burst pipe and water damage.