Winterize your Empty House
Freezing
temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius). If you own an
empty home and the temperature starts to drop you should winterize the house
immediately. If the temperature falls below 32 degrees, the water in the pipes
of your house can freeze and rupture the pipes themselves. Once it thaws, the
open pipe will stream water into your house and ruin everything.
I recently
observed the effects of an un-winterized house during this year’s first snow
storm. The owner failed to pay their electric bill on the house my buyer wanted
and the boiler (which normally keeps the inside temp above 55 degrees) failed
to ignite as a result. The pipes in the bathroom of the 3rd floor, often the
least insulated bathroom, froze and by the time we came in for a walk through,
gallons of water were pouring from the walls, light fixtures and ceilings.
It is like
having your own personal flood. It travels inside all the floors, walls of the
house, and along the electric wiring throughout. If the water sits on hardwood
floors for any amount of time, they can warp and buckle when the wood expands.
Mold can accumulate in 24-48 hours. The water can also transport chemicals,
lead or any other sediment in the floors and walls into the open. Often
basements are flooded and furniture, appliances and fixtures are ruined.
Before
this happens to you, call a plumber and ask them to winterize your house. They
drain all the water from the pipes, toilets and sinks with pressurized
equipment. If you try it yourself, you may miss water in the elbows and dips in
the pipes, so hire a professional. Insurance often denies these claims. The
house we saw had at least $50,000 worth of damage, so beware. Winterize today,
so you are not crying tomorrow.
If you
want to see a firsthand video of damage caused by an un-winterized house…AskRey.