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Father knows best

A closing-up checklist that’s watertight…and would make dear old Dad proud.

By Richard Brignall

Winterizing the plumbing system really comes down to one basic principle: What goes up must come down. To keep water from freezing in the pipes (and bursting them), supply lines should all slope down to a low point under or outside the cottage.

Cold autumn mornings may make us pine for the dog days of summer, but fall has its own benefits. Though the nights are longer and days shorter, there’s more time to do all the projects we put off during the summer. We trade in the swimsuit for a flannel shirt, replace the ice tea set with a large thermos of coffee, and set out with renewed energy to get a few projects finished.

The most significant job for many cottagers, of course, is putting the cottage away for winter. It’s also a key one for keeping anxiety at a reasonable level: Do a bang-up job in fall and you’ll sleep better through the long winter nights, without having to worry about whether you forgot to leave the taps open or lock the door to the boathouse on your final trip to the cottage.

I’m fortunate that the only sleepless nights I have during the winter are when I’m yearning for the next cottage season. I rarely find unexpected surprises waiting for me in the spring.

This peace of mind didn’t happen overnight, though, but was part of a learning process that started as a rite of passage when I was a boy, following my father around the cottage as he closed it down each fall. He showed me how the jet pump draws water from the lake and pushes it to the pressure tank. The pressure tank holds the water, but also pushes it on through the interior plumbing lines to all the faucets. He explained that the hot water tank has two elements inside, top and bottom, which heat the water to a set temperature. Dad’s dire warnings that any water left to freeze at any point in that system over the winter can cause the pipes or tanks to burst left indelible marks on my young psyche. But most important, he provided the best reason for doing the job right in the fall: If I didn’t, not only would the resulting mess likely be my fault, but more jobs would appear in the spring because it would become my responsibility to find the breaks and get the water system running again.

Life was simple when we first became cottagers, and not just because I was only 11 years old. A one-room cottage and a shower house were all we needed to have fun on a weekend – we didn’t even have a kitchen. Our water system was as simple as the cottage and should have been a snap to winterize. However, the hot water tank and pressure tank were located on the deck beside the shower house, with all the copper pipes leaving the tanks in various directions. With the tanks open to all the elements, they were starting to rust in the worst of ways – from the bottom up.

At least closing the water system in the fall was a simple task: The shower house was the only building with running water. The supply lines to the two sinks and shower in this building drained to a single point located near the pressure and hot water tanks, which themselves were easily drained through valves on the bottom of the tanks. (We learned after the first year that a length of garden hose fitted onto the drain valve made for a much drier winterizing experience.)

After a couple of seasons we added a kitchen and, eventually, put on an even larger addition that not only doubled the size of the cottage, but also transformed us as cottagers. We now had a fully functional bathroom, a full kitchen, and a laundry area. We also had to completely redesign the plumbing system.

Our first step was to move the pressure tank and hot water tank under the cottage, which was enclosed and thus dry all year long. Since this was the lowest point of the system, the supply lines between the two tanks and the interior plumbing would drain when the tanks were drained. In addition, we sloped all the supply lines from the kitchen and bathroom to one set of drain valves that was located on the exterior wall of the cottage, just in case any water did remain in the lines.

When we installed this new system, we also made sure everything was accessible. Why spend time crawling around under the cottage on your hands and knees to open drain valves each fall if you don’t have to?

Unlike my experience following Dad around, the learning process can be very different for new cottagers, who often throw themselves suddenly into the responsibility of maintaining a cottage. Chores seem straightforward enough over the summer – cutting grass, changing a few loose boards on the deck, taking the empties back – but come fall, cottagers may be left scratching their heads, trying to figure out the previous owner’s water system draining rocedure, the heart of the winterizing process.

More than one professional has had calls from panicked cottagers seeking advice about plumbing. Ray Landry, of Raymar Plumbing and Heating in Kenora, is a kind of father figure for new property owners (and many long-time ones, too) on Lake of the Woods. He sees it as his mission to educate cottagers on the benefits of proper plumbing and thorough winterizing. “I install systems for lots of people who also want me to close them down each year, which I’m happy to do,” he says. “But I always try to teach the owners how to open and close their places themselves. Everybody in the family should be involved in learning how their cottage plumbing works. Once you know that, creating an efficient closing-up system is easy.”

Here, then, are 10 tips from the pro, himself:

Work from one end of the water system to the other instead of jumping from job to job, and follow a checklist. You’re less likely to miss a step.

Turn off the power to the water pump and the hot water tank before draining anything. It’s a whole lot easier to drain the tanks if you’re not continuing to pump water into them. Turning off the power also protects the heating elements in the hot water tank, so they’re not trying to warm water that is no longer there.

Tackle the cottage’s interior plumbing first. In an ideal world, all the supply pipes will drain to one point, and the water supply lines will gradually slope down to a single set of drain valves, just as the sewer pipes slope downwards towards the septic tank.

If your cottage isn’t set up this way, you may need to spend an afternoon crawling around under the cottage to discover where all the pipes go and where the valves are.

Open the drain valves and make sure all the taps, both inside and outside the cottage, are open. Closed taps can create a vacuum that holds water in the lines. Leave all valves and the taps open over the winter so that any remaining water can drain out.

Attach an air compressor to the drain valve if you think there may still be water in the line from improper drainage or sagging pipes, and blow any excess water back through the open taps.

Drain the hot water tank. If there’s no floor drain – if the tank is outside, say, under the cottage – attach a garden hose to the drain valve located at the bottom of the tank. This will allow you to direct the water away from the tank, instead of having it pool around the base.

Drain the pressure or gravity tank. If the pressure tank is located somewhere other than below your cottage, such as in the boathouse or a special pump enclosure along the shore, make sure the line supplying the cottage from the tank is also drained. The pressure tank relies on a rubber diaphragm to create and hold the pressure to push water through your cottage plumbing lines. If water is left inside the holding tank, it will freeze and potentially destroy this rubber diaphragm, making the tank useless.

If you have a jet pump, remove the drain plug, letting all the water drain between the pump and the pressure or gravity tank. The priming plug should also be removed and stored in a secure spot. Add one to two cups of plumber’s antifreeze (propylene glycol) to the jet-pump case to protect the casing and impeller inside it from freezing. Disconnect the waterline to the pump and pull it onto the shore. Disconnect the foot valve and store it in a secure location where it won’t be damaged.

If you have a submersible pump, leave it in the water throughout the winter. A drain valve installed on the waterline just above the lake’s high-water level will let you drain the line from the cottage to where the pipe enters the water, decreasing the chances it will freeze and crack over the winter.

Winterize the sewage system. Flush the toilet to get as much of the water out of the tank and bowl as possible. Some water will be left over and can be bailed with a small cup. Add a generous amount – about three cups, suggests Landry – of antifreeze to the tank and the bowl to prevent any remaining water from freezing and cracking the toilet, and to stop sewer gas from venting back through the toilet trap. Pour a cup of antifreeze down every sink and tub drain, and two cups down shower-stall drains, which have larger traps. The trap under a drain holds water that prevents sewer gas from coming up through the drain. If left unprotected, that water will freeze and can crack the trap. Some cottagers take the trap off for the winter, but Landry says it’s time consuming and lets gas come up through the open drainpipe, so he doesn’t recommend it. You’ll also need to winterize your washing machine and dishwasher. Since specifications vary, check with your dealer for directions.

At some cottages, Dad is around to “supervise” the winterizing jobs. At others, his legacy may be a well-worn list tacked up on the bulletin board. Or maybe you’re the dad (or mom) who will set up the winterizing routine at your new cottage. But whether you’re an old hand or closing up for the first time, a little care this fall will make sure you’re not sleepless in the city through the long winter months. 

 

Last rites

Closing time at our cottage wasn’t just about draining pipes and tanks. While my father and I were busy outside stacking and storing lawn furniture, gathering tools that were lying around, and flipping the fishing boat over, my mother would be inside the cottage, boxing up all the canned goods, jars, and bottles that might explode over winter, plus perishable food items we didn’t use that summer.

It was a family effort to get the floating dock, normally attached to the crib dock, secured for winter. After my father unhooked it, my brother and I would pull it along the shore, anchoring it in our bay. If we didn’t do this, the ice would tear the floater from the crib dock and, in time, destroy both.

Finally, with the main power turned off, propane-tank valve closed, kitchen cabinets cleaned out, water system drained, equipment put away, buildings locked, floating dock secured, and fishing boat high and dry, we would put up the shutters.

Then, with a loaded boat waiting at the dock, the whole family would walk slowly around the cottage one more time to make sure we hadn’t missed anything. By then, the building and property looked sad and unused, with everything put away and shutters on the windows, but it gave us peace of mind to think    we’d done all we could to make sure the cottage would be the same in the spring as we had left it in the fall.

 

Richard Brignall is a former sports reporter who traded in his press pass for a tool belt.

 

Published in the September/October 2004 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

Copyright © 2004, 2007 by Cottage Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph, or artwork, for other than personal use, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden.