When spring flowers arrive, it's time to de-winterize your house.
After winter, homeowners are anxious to get the second home ready for the spring and summer vacations. Vacation homes as well as many foreclosure homes are prepped for winter by winterizing the plumbing to protect the home from frozen pipes and property damage. Before the water can be turned on in the home, you must prepare the pipes for water. It is important that you follow a specific order and do not turn on the water before preparations are taken.
Instructions
1. Inspect the water pipes throughout the house for cracks or breakage. Remove any insulation that you may have put on the pipes to protect them from cold.
2. Close all of the faucets that you left open when the home was winterized. Close the valve on the water tubing to a refrigerator that has an ice maker. Open the water supply valve on the water heater and close the drain cap. Leave the outside faucet open. This will be your visual that the water is running freely.
3. Remove the aerators from the kitchen and bathroom faucets. This will allow any dirt build up to run freely from the pipes into the sinks. If you opened any sink traps or basement traps, connect or cover the traps.
4. Slowly turn the water meter valve to turn on the water to the house. Make a quarter of a turn every five to nine seconds. Have people monitoring the pipes for leaks while doing this. Don't be alarmed if you hear grinding or strange noises coming from the pipes. The pipes are filling with water after being empty and can create quite a loud racket.
5. Look at the outside faucet to see if water is running out. Turn on each sink faucet very slowly. After each faucet is on, leave the water running for at least 10 minutes to purge the system and remove any air from the lines.
6. Keep the water running in the sinks while you turn on the valves to the toilets. Once the toilet is filled with water, flush the toilet. Turn off the water on all of the faucets including the outside faucet.
7. Inspect the house plumbing after all pipes are charged and water is running freely throughout the house. Look under the sinks for leaks, under the water heater and the water tubing for the refrigerator and washing machine faucet.
8. Check the water meter after the water heater is filled and all faucets have been turned off. If the meter is still running, you may have a hidden leak or a leak from the meter itself. If you do suspect a leak that you cannot find, contact a professional plumber or the water utility company for help.
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