Winterizing cabin/building water lines?

[Turkey Creek]

For those of you who have hunting cabins and/or buildings that you dont heat enough in the winter to keep water lines from freezing. What tips, methods, etc. work for you. We put up the new "work" building this past summer and I hadnt really planned on dealing with temps this extreme I guess. We had been running a electric heater in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink. Left the hot water heater running. We do have some exposed PEX lines that are not where we can keep them from freezing. I siphoned the water out of the toilet bowl tank and bowl to the best of my ability prior to the worst of this cold weather. Is RV antifreeze safe to use in toilets with plastic flushing "guts", do I need to dump antifreeze in floor drains? Any and all input appreciated.

 

[Rubee]

For those of you who have hunting cabins and/or buildings that you dont heat enough in the winter to keep water lines from freezing. What tips, methods, etc. work for you. We put up the new "work" building this past summer and I hadnt really planned on dealing with temps this extreme I guess. We had been running a electric heater in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink. Left the hot water heater running. We do have some exposed PEX lines that are not where we can keep them from freezing. I siphoned the water out of the toilet bowl tank and bowl to the best of my ability prior to the worst of this cold weather. Is RV antifreeze safe to use in toilets with plastic flushing "guts", do I need to dump antifreeze in floor drains? Any and all input appreciated.

Make sure to flush any toilets a few times to empty the tank and then plunge as much water out of the stool as possible. Then add rock salt or rv antifreeze to the tank water that’s left and the stool drain. RV antifreeze in all the drain traps like tubs, sinks ,washer stand pipe etc. I open up all water line spigots and faucets to drain and blow the lines out with an air compressor and air gun with a eighth inch diameter tube nozzle. I pierce a small rubber ball with the tube nozzle and hold the ball and air gun tight to the faucet to get an air seal and blow until line are empty.

 

[Rubee]

Make sure to flush any toilets a few times to empty the tank and then plunge as much water out of the stool as possible. Then add rock salt or rv antifreeze to the tank water that’s left and the stool drain. RV antifreeze in all the drain traps like tubs, sinks ,washer stand pipe etc. I open up all water line spigots and faucets to drain and blow the lines out with an air compressor and air gun with a eighth inch diameter tube nozzle. I pierce a small rubber ball with the tube nozzle and hold the ball and air gun tight to the faucet to get an air seal and blow until line are empty.

Oh and one more thing. Drain the hot water heater.

 

[swat1018]

Like Rubee said. I flush then plunge most of the water out of the toilet. I then pour some RV antifreeze and plunge a little more to get it through. A splash in the tank. I also pour some into all drains to winterize the drain traps. I kill my water and have a ball valve with siphon in basement. Close the valve, open the little siphon then go up and open all faucets. With PEX if you have a little water left in them, no harm.

 

[chummer]

I use a cheap hand siphon to empty the toilet and tank. I have shut of valves at floor level on all the lines. When I am done for the year I just open them up and all the lines drain underneath the camp. RV antifreeze in all the drains and toilet. Leave all the faucets open, take shower wand off and let hose hang. I have a pump house, I drain the pump and pour antifreeze through it.

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[bjseiler]

Do you guys turn off your well pump and drain that line? I just keep the house heated but I’m curious.

 

[Rubee]

I shut the power to my submersible pump but don’t drain the line from the well to the cabin. It’s underground mostly below the frost line until it comes up and into the cabin. It’s an inch and a quarter black plastic line.

 

[Bill]

If you have pex do you have a Manoblock that the pex pipe runs to?

I have this and made a port that I can hook the air compressor to and blow out all the lines.

yes RV antifreeze is safe for the toilet. I’ve been using it for years. Don’t forget the traps in your sink and washer if you have one.

 

[mtholton]

For our cabin, we drain the pressure tank and heater (make sure to shut them off - my father in law forgets that piece). Once that is done, we open up all the faucets, flush toilets and scoop out as much water as we can. Then we add RV anti freeze into each sink, the toilet tank and bowl.

 

[jlonll]

Shut the well off. this sll the time when we leave the place anyway. Learned the hard way.

 

[Bill]

Also If your cabin is a pole barn no heat may not be a problem.

If you have a foundation letting it freeze is a bad idea. It will heave and crack and so will your walls.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I keep the furnace set on my NW WI cabin set at 55 degrees all winter to keep it above freezing all winter. Despite that, I also drain all the water in late fall and put RV antifreeze in every drain and trap. I also have an air hookup on my water line to hook up to a air compressor and blow out the lines. The winterizing steps typically only take about an hour or so.

 

[hillrunner]

I keep the heat on low all winter. Frost is no friend, you want to keep him out.

 

[yoderjac]

For those of you who have hunting cabins and/or buildings that you dont heat enough in the winter to keep water lines from freezing. What tips, methods, etc. work for you. We put up the new "work" building this past summer and I hadnt really planned on dealing with temps this extreme I guess. We had been running a electric heater in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink. Left the hot water heater running. We do have some exposed PEX lines that are not where we can keep them from freezing. I siphoned the water out of the toilet bowl tank and bowl to the best of my ability prior to the worst of this cold weather. Is RV antifreeze safe to use in toilets with plastic flushing "guts", do I need to dump antifreeze in floor drains? Any and all input appreciated.

I'm not sure about how much this applies to your situation, but here goes. We put in a barn back when we bought the place. We put in hydrants and ran a water line into the barn. We then built a small bathroom with a marine type toilet and dump the shower grey water outside. We put electric heat tape on the water lines that go under the insulated floor. We put a small oil filled electric heater in it to keep it above freezing but we turn the water off, just in case, in the winter.

I also have a trailer. I started by connecting a hose from the hydrant to my camper city water line. I made a hose thread adaptor for a quick connect and in the winter, I'd disconnect, blow out the water lines and turn the water off at the hydrant. They make RV antifreeze specifically for drain lines that I used. After a while, I decided I wanted running water in the camper during the winter. I built a small insulated box and put it over the hydrant. I put a small oil filled electric heater in it. It is only a few cubic feet of space. I then ran flexible copper between the hydrant and my water connection. I put electric heat tape on it and then covered it with insulation. I put a shut off just inside the trailer. I have propane heat for the trailer with a 300 gal tank. Instead of turning it off in the winter, I now turn it down to 40 degrees. I always shut off the water where it enters the trailer, just in case. I've been running this way for about 5 years with no big issues.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[marko]

If you have a wash machine and or a dish washer make sure when you blow out the lines you run the controls to draw water into them and run the discharge cycle to get rid of the water. Also put RV antifreeze in the unit and run a discharge cycle to get antifreeze in the pump.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Thanks for all the tips fellows. It is rural water (no well) so I just shut the line off where it comes into the building and there is an electric space heater plugged in next to where the main line comes up through the floor. I will definitely get some RV anti-freeze and make sure I treat traps, drains and toilets with it in the future. It is a pole barn, concrete floor and the walls are insulated but the ceiling is not until we get that done hopefully in the near couple of years. However, even then I dont want to heat that entire structure all winter long. Just nice to have access to a bathroom when we are working, so would like to keep the water on except when we know an Artic blast is coming.