Draining cottage water pipes and the water heater for winter

Why the water must be drained

Water expands by about a tenth when it freezes. Water left in a pipe, valve or water heater can split it, and the damage is often only noticed in spring when the water is turned back on. That is why the water system of an unheated building is drained before the frosts.

Simply closing the main stop valve is not enough, because water stays in the pipes, the heater and the appliances. A dishwasher, a washing machine and a shower mixer can also crack if water is left in them.

The protection guidelines of many Finnish insurers require the water pipes and appliances of an unheated building to be drained. If the guideline was not followed, compensation for frost damage may be reduced. Check the terms of your own policy.

What draining includes

The work depends on the cottage's water system. A typical winterising covers these steps:

• Closing the main stop valve and draining the pipes from their lowest points
• Switching off the water heater and draining it
• Draining taps, mixers and the shower
• Emptying the toilet cistern and bowl
• Protecting traps and the floor drain with antifreeze
• Draining a well pump and pressure tank according to the manufacturer's instructions

Mains water or your own well

With mains water the supply is closed at the main stop valve, and the water meter must also be protected from frost – check your water utility's instructions. With a private well, the pump, pressure tank and the pipe from the well are drained according to the manufacturers' instructions. Tell us in the quote request what kind of system the cottage has so that we bring the right materials.

When water stays in low points

Draining uses the system's drain valves. If there are none, or the pipes run so that water stays in low points, the pipes can be blown empty with compressed air. At the end of the visit we tell you what was done and what is worth fixing before next winter, such as a missing drain valve or a leaking main stop valve.

Recommissioning in spring

In spring the system is refilled in a controlled way: drain valves are closed, the water is opened gradually, the heater is filled before its power is switched on and the joints are checked for leaks. If a pipe or appliance was damaged during the winter, it is found at this stage before water gets into the structures.

It is also a good moment to check the heater's safety valve and the tap seals, which may have dried out over the winter.

Service area and timing

We drain and recommission cottages within our service area, for example in Sipoo, Porvoo, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijärvi, Karkkila and Lapinjärvi. Give the cottage address, the type of water system and whether there is a water heater in your quote request, and we will estimate the work and the travel.

Book the draining well before the first frosty nights. The last weeks of autumn are the busiest time for cottage winterising.