# winterizing a house



## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

I' know an elderly lady that is gonig away for the winter. she told me her heating guy told her to turn the thermostat down to 68 when she leaves.
what? that's the highest we have our house. 
when my mother-in-law past away about 6 yrs ago, we turned her house down to about 44, which was too low, we had alot of old plaster crack.
what would you say is a save & cheap setting?

she'll turn off the water & unplug tv & fridge too


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I would just drain/blow out the water lines and turn the heat off. Its common with cottage's in the north. 

Some are even set up to be self draining. open a valve, little antifreeze in the drains, kill the heat/main breaker. set up right they get winterized multiple times every winter.


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## WoW. (Aug 11, 2011)

drywall and/or plaster may very well crack if left unheated. I wouldn't go below 50 if that is a concern.

I'd turn off water, blow out lines, and dump antifreeze in traps. Also, unscrew aerators from faucets so they don't fill with crud when you turn water back on.


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## Ricky Missum (Jan 10, 2003)

Deal with alot of bank owned homes(vacant) at work. The Tuesday after Vet's Day, the first house I was in the temp was 39F and the realator was goin nuts tryin to get the furnace on:lol::lol:!! Last week we also responded to several irrigation systems that had frozen!! If you talk to DTE or Consumers, the gas companys in this area, they will tell you never below 60F. You can imagine with the ouside temp at 32F and the furnace fails, the temp inside the house is gonna drop like a rock!! Lot's of good advise as mentioned above, if you have city water, I would have the city turn the water off in the front yard, (we call it a stopbox) then pull and drain the meter,(many communitys charge for a new meter) open every valve in the house, drain as much water as possible, using a compresser and blowing the lines out is by far the best way to winterize a house. And of course antifreeze in all the traps, toilets break just as easy as copper splits!!! If leaving the furnace on,(for the winter) and the house sits on a slab, and the furnace is enclosed, open all doors and any enclosing the furnace. If the furnace is located in the basement, even more so with a finished basement, leave all doors open, (in the house) and the basement door open. The house should be checked at least once a week. Also consider heat tape around the pipes, especially where the water service enters the house. I've been in older homes in the dead off winter, have seen the frost over a inch thick on the drywall and plaster, and as you mentioned, monster damage!! Hope this helps!!


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

My father lives in Troy, but also has a condo down in Florida. They leave here in late October and don't return until May 01. I get down there regularly and check on the place but he sets it at 58 degrees. The water is shut off too. 

As others have said, YOU CAN'T JUST TURN OFF THE HEAT! An unheated building will deteriorate VERY quickly.


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

Then how do you explain the 1000's of cottages that get winterized every year?


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Lumberman said:


> Then how do you explain the 1000's of cottages that get winterized every year?


Hell, theres thousands in my county alone, I do a bunch myself and have no deterioration problem.


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## mattl (Aug 6, 2005)

Plaster will "pop"once it gets below 55 or so for long, I've never seen drywall fail unless it was wet at shutoff.


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

thanks guys, I think tell her 58.
house has plaster, & she plans on selling next spring.


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## 1mainiac (Nov 23, 2008)

If she is planning on selling why not list it now then she can keep a list of costs and relate them to the sale. Also a Realtor will watch the house as he tries to sell it meaning keep driveway and walks open less chance of problems if it is being shown and it might sell.


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