• Shut water off at the meter (most house shutoff gate valves, whether behind the meter or under the carport are notorious for malfunctioning. The meter shutoff is the most reliable.
  
  
• Dependable Service Plumbing shall hook up a compressor and blow out the lines.
  
  
• Starting at the bottom of the house and working my way to the top, I open all faucets including hose bibs, fish/utility sinks, laundry sinks, inside and outside showers including beach showers. Flush all toilets, shut off the circuit breaker to the water heater, lower the house thermostats to 55 degrees.
  
  
• Add various amounts of non-staining anti-freeze to all the trapways toilets (and a little in the tiny bit of water that remains in the tank), sinks (not in the disposal!) and all shower drains.

This procedure for a smaller house will take me up to an hour. Larger beach houses with several stories; extra bedrooms and fixtures; with a water mater several hundred feet away out at the street or showers out on the beach will, naturally, take longer to service. I provide the required anti-freeze.

De-winterization, naturally, will take less time, but this procedure requires a helper. After we close off all the faucets inside and out, one of us will go out to the street to open the meter valve while the other stays in the house to check for any split pipes inside. Then we operate all faucets and toilet, turn on the circuit breaker to the water heater and re-set the thermostats.

Clients who may use our winterization services several times during the winter will receive a discount.

Please do not wait until the very last minute to have us winterize your house. You will be put on a list in the order received. Today's computers can give you very accurate forecasts 10 to 15 days in advance so you can determine if winterization is needed. I also want to remind those clients with houses directly on the beach or out in the open to factor in wind chills or prolonged cold snaps into their decision-making.

Typical – Codomiums - $50 to winterize, $15 to de-winterize

Typical – Small Beach House has 2 baths, 1 kitchen, 2 laundry/utility sinks, 2 carport hose bibs and 1 outside shower. - $60 to winterize, $25 to de-winterize

Medium Sized Beach Houses have typically 4 bathrooms (2 on each floor), 1 kitchen, 2 laundry/utility sinks, 2 carport hose bibs, 2 outside showers and possibly a deck shower out to the beach. $75 to winterize, $30 to de-winterize

Large Sized Beach Houses that have 5 or more bathrooms or powder rooms shall be billed strictly ontime involved.

Disclaimer: No plumber or management company can guarantee that your house or condo will never have a frozen or split piping due to freezing. Variables, such as storms causing electrical outages; high wind chills; sustained freezing spells; un-insulated carport ceilings and uninsulated piping must be taken into account. None of the older beach houses were properly insulated for year 'round habitation, nor were the water pipes “pitched” (like waste piping) to allow for complete gravity draining.

These procedures are meant to minimize the chances of freezing or split pipes.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service to you.

Sincerely,
David C. Sodano