Cottage closing

BBS · 10-22-2004, 06:06 AM

We've decided to close the cottage for the winter and I have a couple of questions about the water supply.

1. I plan to close the water shutoff valve outside the cottage. The hot water heater is in the lowest corner of the crawl space so I assume that if I drain the tank from the valve at the bottom that it will also drain all of the pipes. Is this true? Should I open all of the taps when I do this?

2. I'll put R/V antifreeze in all of the traps. But what about the dishwasher and washing machine? Do I pour the antifreeze in and then use the "drain" cycle to get it into the trap? What about the toilet? I know that it needs to be flushed to drain the tank and then the bowl should be sponged out... but isn't there a trap in there too? Do I need to flush anitifreeze in to make sure that it gets into the trap?

Thanks for any suggestions; I'd rather not have to deal with broken plumbing next spring.

10-22-2004, 06:06 AM	#1
BBS Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 28 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cottage closing We've decided to close the cottage for the winter and I have a couple of questions about the water supply. 1. I plan to close the water shutoff valve outside the cottage. The hot water heater is in the lowest corner of the crawl space so I assume that if I drain the tank from the valve at the bottom that it will also drain all of the pipes. Is this true? Should I open all of the taps when I do this? 2. I'll put R/V antifreeze in all of the traps. But what about the dishwasher and washing machine? Do I pour the antifreeze in and then use the "drain" cycle to get it into the trap? What about the toilet? I know that it needs to be flushed to drain the tank and then the bowl should be sponged out... but isn't there a trap in there too? Do I need to flush anitifreeze in to make sure that it gets into the trap? Thanks for any suggestions; I'd rather not have to deal with broken plumbing next spring.