Winterizing-Need Suggestions Please

   / Winterizing-Need Suggestions Please #1  

BSVLY

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
220
Location
Desert Southwest
Tractor
Kioti CK30 HST
We may be taking possession of our remote central Nevada farm property around mid-November and that is when it can start to freeze there (Zone 7 climate). Last year the neighbors had a couple hard freezes in Jan. that took them by surprise too. Here is our delema-hopefully a workable one:

The place has a well and the home is electrically heated. We will only be there intermittantly at first-so "how do we winterize the water system" so it won't freeze? Leaving the water running is out due to high cost of power and also the risk of leaving pumps running unattended.

It was suggested by one fellow out there to install " schreader valves" in the hot water lines and to use a compressor to blow the water out of the indoor plumming. Will this work OK? Is this a straightforward installation and proceedure that I can repeat on a monthly basis? Any catches?

Also-This line blow-out method:can it be used to clear the irrigation lines to the trees too?

Hopefully not too many questions at once. Thanks and always looking for experienced TBN minds to make suggestions.

Rich
 
   / Winterizing-Need Suggestions Please #2  
For the last 6 years, I've Winterized my place in Pennsylvania, which is a poorly insulated early 80's double-wide with a crawl-space, well, and an outside wood-fired boiler driving interior baseboard radiators:


1) Drain the drinking water lines (I have a low spot in the system with a drain valve)
2) Blow out the remaining water from the drinking water lines with an air-compressor.
3) Fill all the traps, toilets, etc. with pink "travel-trailer" anti-freeze (it's less toxic than the yellow-stuff)

For the heating system:

4) I rigged a set of valves to seperate the boiler from the in-side plumbling
5) Drain the boiler (about 300 gallons)
6) Carefully replace the fluid in the in-side plumbing (the radiators) with pink anti-freeze. It's a little tricky, but I run the circulation pump, while pouring in the anti-freeze from an opening in the system. It bubbles and girgles, but eventually replaces all the water with anti-freeze. The total system holds about 5 gallons.

For the pump-house:

7) My pump / pressure tank / water softener is located in a shed next to the house. However all these plumbing "features" are isolated in a small, well insulated closet. It's got 6" foam insulation on all sides.
8) I installed a small 100 Watt Electic baseboard heating strip, with it's own thermostat, that I set at 50 degrees.

Here's the problems I've encountered:

a) Froze-up the ice-maker line for the fridge (I let the fridge run all winter while we're gone). This was a real-bummer repair job, as we had to crawl under the house to replace the frozen el-cheapo valve that you get with your refrig installation kit.
b) Froze-up the spray-nozzle in the kitchen sink. Water sits in that little three foot long hose !
c) The top of my well head rusted over the winter, while I left the power onto the pump and dang-near lost my whole well as the water slowly sprayed out of a small leak for several months. Lesson learned, turn off the power to your well pump.

Regards,
Henry
 
   / Winterizing-Need Suggestions Please #3  
Yes, the irrigation system can be cleared with compressed air- around here we have to do it every year. Getting about that time again!
 
   / Winterizing-Need Suggestions Please
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Thanks very much for the input gentlemen. Henry-it seems like a lot of work and it must be done!

Rich
 

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