How to Prepare Your Home for Spring
When you come back to live there again, a house that has been winterized, so you can leave it unoccupied during the chilly winter months will need to be de-winterized. In most cases, this involves undoing whatever winterization procedures you performed on the house.
De-Winterizing
When a building has been abandoned throughout the cold season, de-winterizing entails reopening the pipes and water lines for use. After winterizing a home, homeowners or experts can de-winterize it in the spring to keep it from freezing.
Instructions
- Turn on any previously shut-off electrical circuits. It’s fairly uncommon for a home’s electrical service to be turned off in a way that only leaves a few crucial lighting circuits or the circuit for the furnace operational. Examine each branch circuit breaker in the main service panel by going there. Any circuit breakers that were turned off should be restarted.
- Open the water valves for the water heater, boiler, and water softener.
If the water supply to these large appliances was turned off for winterization, put it back on now. The typical location for doing this is at the valves on the pipes leading to and from the appliances. To fill these appliances, follow the manufacturer’s instructions; this may entail opening escape valves to let trapped water out as they fill with water. - In order to prevent any potential water leaks, if your home has an electric hot water heater, make sure it is filled up again before you turn on the circuit that powers it.
- Lamps and appliances with plugs
Most lamps and other appliances should be unplugged in preparation for winter. Plugging that necessary equipment back into their electrical outlets is the first step in the reverse process.
5. Activate the primary water supply.
Turn on the main water supply gently until it is roughly halfway open, making sure that all disconnected water supply tubes and pipes have been correctly reconnected. This valve is often located near the main pipe bringing water into the house. It is a good idea to open the faucet on any utility sinks that are close to the main shutoff valve while you progressively turn on the main water supply. This will enable stale air to escape.
6. Verify Each Plumbing Fixture Again
Re-check all plumbing fixtures and appliances for appropriate operation in every room of the house as a last step to restoring plumbing service, then check to see if any water supply connections are leaking.
7. Examine the roof gutters.
It’s possible that leaves and other debris clogged the roof gutters over the winter. Verify that the downspouts will divert water away from the home and that they are clear.
8. Turn on any active pilots.
If you have older appliances that work with standing pilot lights that burn continuously, now is the time to relight these pilots. The majority of newer gas appliances have electronic ignition systems that ignite the gas with use. Older furnaces, water heaters, and stoves might have this form of pilot light, but depending on how old your home is, it might not.
8. Reprogram the alarm and thermostat systems
When you were gone for the winter, programmable systems might have been configured to unusual conditions. Adapt them to your inhabited home’s requirements. Additionally, confirm that the water heater’s thermostat is set to the appropriate temperature.