Thread: Winterized? Not Quite.....

This was the plumber's idea of winterizing the plumbing system. He did pour antifreeze in the toilet and sink drains.....but that was about it.

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Are we seeing a little water left in the plumbing and it is gravity flow at the sink or is that a lot of water running out? I see that around here, too. I have winterized quite a few homes. I am often annoyed when after blowing out the system, I still get a little trickle at some fixture. Still, with a little effort a system can be effectively winterized and good guys do it all the time.
Last winter, I ran into a kitchen sink drain that was frozen. Doooh!, the winterizer must have missed it as he went around pouring anti-freeze into the drains. But nothing was damaged, so no harm, no foul.

In your photo, it looks like the supply from the street is unprotected from the concrete foundation.

Originally Posted by Lon Henderson

Are we seeing a little water left in the plumbing and it is gravity flow at the sink or is that a lot of water running out? I see that around here, too. I have winterized quite a few homes. I am often annoyed when after blowing out the system, I still get a little trickle at some fixture. Still, with a little effort a system can be effectively winterized and good guys do it all the time.
Last winter, I ran into a kitchen sink drain that was frozen. Doooh!, the winterizer must have missed it as he went around pouring anti-freeze into the drains. But nothing was damaged, so no harm, no foul.

In your photo, it looks like the supply from the street is unprotected from the concrete foundation.

1 - Correct. Some residual water running out of the faucet.
2 - Correct. The house was about 18 years old and they did not start sleeving a PVC pipe in the foundation wall to run the water line through until......well, not sure exactly but they weren't doing it 18 years ago.

The meter was never removed. The only thing "preventing" the water service from being turned back on is those he-man strength zip-strips strapped to the valve handles.

If the pipes were not blown out really good it is amazing how much water is left behind in the pipes. A little water distributed throughout the system will drain and collect over time. Was it just a little or a was it as if they just drained the system and did not blow it out?

Then there is the question of a leaking shutoff valve that is almost undetectable, but over time adds up.

Pulling the meter is a little drastic. Wire ties on the valve and a warning tag is enough. It is winterizing not decommission or terminating the service.

Nick,
How common is it to have a water treatment system with public water in your area?

If the house was winterized properly all the faucets should be left open.

Originally Posted by Garry Sorrells

Nick,
How common is it to have a water treatment system with public water in your area?

It's not a regular installation but not entirely uncommon either. Depending on the water supply lines and how old they are, some water around here is pretty hard. We could use one in our house as the water is pretty hard.

Removal of the meter for winterizing is pretty much the standard around here based on the number of winterized systems I have seen. The meter and adjacent shut-offs are the lowest part of the system so I don't know how you can adequately drain all the water without removing the meter. The house also had an in-line pressure gauge installed next to the meter which is not common at all. But the gauge had a standing pressure reading of 60 psi at the start of the inspection and it had risen to 65 psi by the end. How I don't know.

Nick,
Did you see any pressure in the system before you turned on the water supply?

From the looks of the plumbing it would have to be drained on both sides of the one way valve and turned off at the street and drained. But different strokes for different folks.

I would vote for a slow leak at valve if in fact the lines were drained. Then on the other hand someone may have tried to turn on the water while they were looking at the property.

The only pressure I noticed was at the pressure gauge which could be defective for all I know. No actual water pressure at any fixtures. The pic I posted with the water coming out was enough at first to make it look as though there may have been a leak at the main. It petered out but it took a couple minutes to do so.