How Do You Dewinterize Your Property?
With the snow melting and the days getting longer, now is the time to start thinking about when you’re going to dewinterize your property.
Arriving to discover broken pipes can be very inconvenient, especially when all you want to do is start relaxing. If you properly drained and shut down the plumbing in the fall, then you shouldn’t have any problems when you go to dewinterize in the spring.
If you discover you have an emergency, contact our 24/7 Emergency Service line at 604-873-3551.
How to Begin | Dewinterize Your Property
Water System
When you arrive at your property, inspect all the water pipes for obvious damage. If there are any less-than-obvious problems, they will appear shortly. If you notice any damage to the water pipes, do not continue with the steps described below. Contact an experienced plumber right away.
Turn on the water, allowing it to enter into the pump and water holding tank. This is an important step as it ensures enough water is available for when you need to flush your water lines.
Before turning on the water, open a cold water valve. Make sure the valve leading to the hot water tank is closed. Next, turn on the water pump and open all the other valves that may lead from the pump to the property. This will flush your plumbing of air, anti-freeze and other sediments that may have built up over the winter.
Once the pipes have been properly flushed, close all the taps. Next, inspect the water pump to make sure it holds pressure. If you notice the pump loses pressure when the taps are closed, then there is a leak somewhere in your plumbing system. Contact an experienced plumber right away.
Now, turn on all of the faucets inside and open the water slowly at the main water supply. Let the water run until all of the air is out of the line. We recommend having additional people around, so they can spot leaks quickly.
Hot Water Tank
Now that the water system is on and working as normal, it is time to fill your hot water tank.
- Ensure the hot water tank breaker is in the OFF position
- Close all the taps
- Close the cold-water intake valve for the tank (it should already be closed from the step above)
- Connect a hose to the drainage valve and run it outside
- Open the drainage valve (normally opens counter-clockwise)
- Open a hot water tap
- Close the drainage valve
- Turn on the cold-water intake valve to begin filling the hot water tank
- Watch the hot water tap – when it flows normally, the water tank is full
- Turn on the hot water tank electrical supply breaker
During this process, ensure you are inspecting the water pipes and listening for leaks in the system.
Septic System
Before the summer season, consider having your septic tank pumped. We believe it is money well spent as you can avoid a potential mess in the middle of your holiday. Contact a sewage pump expert.
Contact Universal Plumbing and Heating or call us at 604-873-3551 for all of your plumbing needs.
