30 Oct Winter is Coming: How to Winterize your Flagstaff Home
The weather is certainly cooling down here in Flagstaff, Arizona as November nears. Next week the forecast is predicting our first snow of the fall. For those of you who own vacation homes or cabins in Flagstaff and other parts of Northern Arizona, if you haven’t already begun winterizing your home, now is definitely the time. If you are currently browsing Flagstaff homes for sale and want to know what it takes to prepare your future vacation home for the winter, you’ve come to the right place! The following steps are all you need to know to protect your Flagstaff real estate from frozen pipes, water damage, and other hazards during a potentially very snowy winter with El Nino rolling in.
1. Winter is Coming: Prepare the Insulation
Just like in the HBO series Game of Thrones, it is important to prepare for a long winter ahead of time (fellow fantasy geeks know what we’re talking about). Avoid future headaches by doubling down on insulation for your pipes in the crawl space of your home or cabin, along with outdoor water pipes and faucets used for irrigation. It is also wise to seal up any place cold air might be getting into your home or garage where pipes are located. Common areas you’ll want to seal up include dryer vents/pipes and electrical wiring.
2. Shut off the Water
If you’re leaving your vacation home or cabin unattended for the winter you will want to make sure the water is shut off and any water is drained from the pipes. When the water is shut off, begin by finding the lowest faucet (usually outside) and open it up. After that go through and do that for every sink, bath, shower, and flush all the toilets to remove any last bit of water. Shut off the electricity or pilot light for the water heater and drain that into a floor drain as well. Remove any garden hoses or empty outdoor pipes leading to faucets. To be extra careful, you can use a can of compressed air to blow out the last of the water in the pipes. If your home is drained of all water, it is best to keep heat on low throughout the winter. It helps to have a neighbor check periodically to make sure everything is safe and sound. Sometimes excess water can reamin in the drains, some cabin owners use a substance like vodka, olive oil, or RV antifreeze in the toilet tanks, dishwasher, sink traps, tubs, etc.
3. All the Extras
Make sure that all the food is removed from your Flagstaff real estate, especially from the fridge, and unplug all appliances. Leave all cabinets open for ventilation and to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Also remember to unplug all of your electronics, and to turn off all pilot lights and check for gas leaks. Put all the lawn furniture and outdoor grilling tools into storage. Make sure your vents are open to the crawl space, but that the crawl space is sealed against animals.
Ready to invest in your Flagstaff vacation home? Contact The COLLINS TEAM today and browse our current Flagstaff homes for sale at the link below, and get ready for an awesome holiday season!