How to De-Winterize Your House

person checking an outdoor spigot

The Spruce / Georgia Lloyd

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 30 - 45 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins - 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Estimated Cost: $5–$35

A home that has been winterized in order to leave it empty for the cold months of winter will then need to be de-winterized when you return to occupy it once again. This is generally a matter of reversing whatever actions you took to winterize the home. Some common winterizing actions can include:

  • Shutting off the water and draining the pipes to prevent freezing
  • Disconnecting flexible supply tubes for sinks, toilets, dishwashers, washing machines, and other appliances
  • Unplugging appliances
  • Programming thermostats and alarm systems
  • Draining the water heater and water softener and disconnecting its water pipes
  • Canceling or forwarding mail service

To reverse the process and de-winterize a house that was winterized by a professional service, the easiest solution is to have the same professionals return to systematically do the work—they know, after all, exactly what was done and how to reverse it. But since the process is relatively simple, many homeowners choose to learn the steps themselves and save on labor costs as it only requires a few basic tools and supplies.

De-Winterizing

De-winterizing a home is the process of reopening pipes and water lines for use after leaving the building vacant during the cold season. Homeowners or professionals can de-winterize houses in the spring after winterizing to preserve them through freezing temperatures.

Before You Begin

Since you'll be working with a variety of appliances in your home, you may need to consult the owners' manuals for the individual appliances when reconnecting water lines or supply tubes. Gather these manuals before beginning; if you no longer have the original physical copies, most can be found at the manufacturer's websites or by contacting the manufacturer directly.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Flashlight
  • Set of wrenches
  • Channel-lock pliers
  • Owners' manuals for appliances

Materials

  • Rags or paper towels

Instructions

Materials needed to dewinterize a house

The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  1. Turn on Any Electrical Circuits That Have Been Shut Off

    It's not uncommon for a home's electrical service to be shut off in a manner that leaves only the essential circuits operating, such as the circuit for the furnace or a few essential lighting circuits. Go to the main service panel and examine all the individual branch circuit breakers inside the panel. Turn on any circuit breakers that have been shut off.

    Warning

    If your home has an electric hot water heater, make sure it is refilled before you turn on the circuit that powers it to avoid any potential water leaks.

    Turning back on switches that were turned off during the winter

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  2. Connect All Water Supply Tubes and Pipes

    If your de-winterizing procedure included disconnecting the flexible supply tubes from various plumbing fixtures, systematically inspect all these fixtures and reconnect the flex tubes to the shutoff valves or the appliance inlets. This is best done on a room-by-room basis, carefully looking at the sinks, toilet, showers, tubs, and any other water-supplied appliances. Use channel-lock pliers or a wrench to carefully re-secure all the flex tubes to their fixtures. Do not turn on the fixture shutoff valves yet; in fact, make sure they are all still fully shut off.

    Make sure to also inspect the water heater, water softener, and other utility appliances to make sure their water connections are connected. Remove aerators on kitchen and bathroom faucets (including tubs) to clean any buildup before turning the water back on.

    Tip

    The winterizing process may have included stuffing drain openings with rags or seals to prevent sewer gases from rising up into the home. If so, make sure to unblock all the drains in the home, including the toilet, shower, and floor drains.

    Reconnecting all water supply tubes and pipes

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  3. Turn on the Main Water Supply

    When you are certain that all disconnected water supply tubes and pipes have been properly reconnected, slowly turn on the main water supply until it is about halfway open. This valve is usually found at the main entrance pipe delivering the water supply to the home. If there is a utility sink near the main shutoff valve, it is a good idea to turn on its shutoff valve and open the faucet as you gradually turn on the main water supply. This will allow trapped air to escape as the pipes refill with water.

    Turning back on the main water supply

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  4. Open the Water Heater, Boiler, and Water Softener Water Valves

    If these major appliances have been shut off during winterization, turn their water supply back on at this time. This is normally done at valves located on the pipes running to and from the appliances. Follow the manufacturers' recommendations for how to fill these appliances; it may involve opening escape valves to allow trapped water to exit as they fill up with water.

    Opening the water heater, boiler, and water softener

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  5. Turn on Plumbing Fixtures, One at a Time

    With the main water supply valve opened about halfway, visit each plumbing fixture in every room. First, open the fixture shutoff valve, then open the faucet on each fixture. Air will likely rush out of the faucet as trapped air in the pipes escapes, and the first flow of water may be a loud and vigorous splashing; this is normal. When the water runs steady and clear, you can shut off the faucet. Check the fixture shutoff valves for leaks and tighten any joints that are seeping or actively leaking. Carry rags or paper towels with you as you check these fixtures in case there is a small leak or drip.

    Check all fixtures, including refrigerator icemakers, water filters, dishwashers, etc. to make sure their water supplies have been restored.

    Test toilets to make sure they are operating correctly. When toilet tanks sit empty for long periods of time, the seals on the flush valves may harden and prevent the toilet tank from sealing properly at the end of each flush cycle.

    When all fixtures seem to be operating properly, turn the main water supply valve on to the fully-open position.

    Turning plumbing fixtures back on

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  6. Check Exterior Hose Spigot Faucets

    Freeze-proof faucets can leak after de-winterizing. Check every exterior spigot to make sure it opens and closes properly without leaking. Low water pressure here may mean there is a leaking split in the stub-out pipe that extends from the inside of the house. To check this out, you may need to enter a crawlspace or inspect the basement.

    Checking the exterior hose spigots

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  7. Double-Check All Plumbing Fixtures

    As a final step to restore the plumbing service, go back through every room in the house and carefully double-check all plumbing fixtures and appliances for proper operation, then make sure the water supply connections aren't leaking.

    Double checking all plumbing fixtures

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  8. Plug in Lamps and Appliances

    It is standard practice to unplug most lamps and other appliances for winterization. Reversing the process involves now plugging those essential appliances back into their electrical outlets.

    Plugging back in lamps and appliances

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  9. Turn on the Gas

    Often, natural gas is turned off when a house is left unattended in winter to prevent danger from gas leaks, and you'll now need to turn it back on. In some climates where winter heating is not needed, the gas may have been shut off at the main gas shutoff valve. Turning this valve back on will restore gas throughout the house. In cold climates where a gas furnace must run at a low temperature to prevent serious freezing, the main gas supply may still be open, but individual fixtures may have their local shutoff valves closed. Open all these valves.

    Turning the gas back on

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  10. Light Any Standing Pilots

    Most newer gas appliances use electronic ignition systems that ignite the gas with use, but if you have older appliances that operate with standing pilot lights that burn constantly, now is the time to relight these pilots. Older furnaces, water heaters, and stoves may have this kind of pilot light, but your home may not have any such appliances depending on its age.

    Checking and relighting any standing pilot lights

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  11. Check the Sump Pump

    If your home has a sump pump that serves a drain-tile and sump pit system, check to make sure it is turned on and operating correctly. Spring rains or melting snow runoff can flood basements unless the sump pump is up and running.

    Checking the sump pump

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  12. Check the Roof Gutters

    Over the winter, leaves and other debris may have clogged the roof gutters. Make sure they are clear and that the downspouts will carry water away from the house.

    Checking the roof gutters for leaves

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

  13. Reprogram the Thermostat and Alarm System

    Programmable systems may have been adjusted for special settings for the winter when you were away from the house. Reprogram them to the needs of your occupied home. Also, check the thermostat on the water heater to make sure it is adjusted for proper temperature.

    Reprogramming the home thermostat

    The Spruce / Nelly Cuanalo

When to Call a Professional

While a standard home can usually be de-winterized yourself, you'll likely need to call a professional to de-winterize an RV or mobile home. Professional services that winterize these homes often fill the water lines and drain traps with a special anti-freeze solution. If this is the case, it is difficult to do the de-winterization yourself. Call the service to come and drain the water pipes and properly dispose of the solution. The pipes will need to be thoroughly flushed to remove all traces of the antifreeze solution.

Welcome home! You are now ready to resume living in your house. All that's left is to tell the neighbors you're back, reset the time on clocks, and restart any discontinued mail services.