How to Drain Pipes for the Winter | This Old House

Hot tips for avoiding frozen pipes with This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)

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Richard helped a homeowner prevent his pipes from freezing during the winter months. The homeowner spends each winter away and didn't want to keep heating the house while it sits empty. Without heat in the house, however, both the water supply pipes and drain traps could freeze and cause thousands of dollars of damage to the house. Richard started by locating the lowest faucet in the house to drain down all the water in the supply pipes. With the pipes fully drained, Richard connected an air compressor to blow out any remaining water that might still be sitting in the pipes. This process involved manually opening all faucets and fixtures in the house to allow the compressed air to force any water out of the supply lines and valves, including the dishwasher and washing machine. Richard did not remove the water from the drain traps, because doing so would allow sewer gasses to enter the home. Instead, he poured non-toxic antifreeze into each drain trap and toilet tank. The homeowner also had a forced hot water heating system, so Richard pumped non-toxic antifreeze into the boiler to prevent freezing of the heating pipes when not in use. Back in the loft, Richard also recommended draining any water out of stand-alone water heater tanks and lines that supply water to refrigerators.

Shopping List for How to Drain Pipes for the Winter:
- propylene glycol, nontoxic antifreeze used to protect water left in home's plumbing system

Tools for How to Drain Pipes for the Winter:
- garden hose, used to drain water from plumbing system and boiler
- air compressor, for blowing water from piping

Air-compressors and fittings of all kinds are available in home centers and hardware stores.

Non-toxic antifreeze (sometimes called "RV" or "Marine" antifreeze), is available at home centers and marine supply stores. The brand Richard used is Cryo-tek -100 manufactured by Hercules Chemical Company, Inc. [bloom.bg/3oP6EKb]

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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Drain Pipes for the Winter | This Old House
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