Located in Plano. With the upcoming deep freeze being forecast for later this week, what would would y'all recommend doing for protecting pipes while away? Will be in town Thursday and Friday, but will be leaving Saturday morning (definitely before temperatures rise above freezing, which potentially may not occur until Sunday). Have already sealed up exterior faucets (with a combination of a soft sock protector and a hard shell protector over the top at each) and plan to drip faucets/run plumbing frequently while home. Made it through February 2021 using this method with no freezing/leaks. However, I am uneasy about leaving the water supply turned on while away due to the possibility of leaks/flooding. If I was to shut off the water supply at the meter Saturday morning:

1. Would this increase the likelihood of freezing/pipe breaks since water would no longer be actively moving through the plumbing lines when compared to dripping?
2. If so, is there anything which can be done to feasibly drain the lines with minimal equipment. My wife and I are renting the house in question, and as far as I can tell, there is not bleed valve or shut off beyond the meter which can be used for draining. Would running all plumbing fixtures until dry be sufficient to make a difference at all? I know that in colder climates, the plumbing system is typically drained via a combination of compressed air and antifreeze.
3. What should be done with the gas water heater? Would you recommend putting it into pilot mode, or shutting it off completely?

This also assumes that the heater is operational. If power is lost, then all bets are off.

Was having the same debate about the water heaters. I get not wanting them to run empty, but if you shut off the main water, and just in case of some siphon effect shut off the cold supply to the water heater, wouldn't they stay full? My (probably unfounded) concern with turning them off is unless you drain them, they could potentially freeze in the attic.

I took the temp in my attic during the 21 freeze and it never dropped below freezing, so it seems unlikely all that hot water inside would freeze.

To be safe, you could just drain off a small portion of the water inside to give it room for expansion inside the tank.

How does one drain the lines?

Open all your faucets. It will relieve all the pressure and get most of the water out. Any water left will have plenty of room to expand if it freezes.

I don't think that's necessarily correct. It may be correct if your water lines are in your attic and will drain from the force of gravity, but not if they're in a slab or crawl space. I know that a lot of cabins in the Rockies have special drains built at their lowest point to allow gravity to do its work, but then owners also blow the lines out in addition and pour antifreeze into their sink drains and toilets.

I'm just not sure how to do that in a typical suburban home with all of the water lines lower than the faucets.

I've seen some people open a faucet on one end of the house and apply air compressor to a faucet on the other end of the house. I'll see if I can find a video.

Thank y'all for the tips! If I turn off the water supply at the meter, would it be okay to put the water heater into pilot mode, or does it need to be turned completely off? The water heater is located in the garage, but has an walled enclosure built around it with a door if that makes a difference. Also, after turning the water off at the meter, should I turn on the hot water side of faucets to drain the lines and relieve pressure like the cold water side, or will this drain the water heater, thereby creating more of a problem?

Jabin said:

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How does one drain the lines?

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I just open my outside hose it seems to be the lowest fixture I have. Should be plenty of room for any remaining water to expand if it freezes.

akaggie05 said:

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Don't leave a water heater on (gas or electric) if water is shut off.

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Quoting this for anyone thinking about turning water supply off.

hijakeroo123 said:

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Thank y'all for the tips! If I turn off the water supply at the meter, would it be okay to put the water heater into pilot mode, or does it need to be turned completely off? The water heater is located in the garage, but has an walled enclosure built around it with a door if that makes a difference. Also, after turning the water off at the meter, should I turn on the hot water side of faucets to drain the lines and relieve pressure like the cold water side, or will this drain the water heater, thereby creating more of a problem?

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I have the same questions. Following.

Most homeowners policies require you to turn the water supply off to the house and drain water out of the hot water tank(s). If you do that then you should fully open your faucets inside the house. Also turn off your hot water heater(s) since they are empty. The outside faucets should be covered/insulated.

We had a pipe burst at my Mother-in-law's place in '21--neighbors called to tell us water was coming out of the bricks!! She read the policy numerous times and kept threatening to call the ins co and tell them to stop payments for the repair of the house and she would write a check to pay the ins co back since we didn't turn off the water or drain the tanks, etc. Had to get The Rib to talk her out of it about 5 times. The last two times I said if this comes up again I was completely out and she would be on her own.

Finally finished the repair/remodel a year later and the house is brand new inside.

Crazy times!!

BigAg_12 said:

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hijakeroo123 said:

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Thank y'all for the tips! If I turn off the water supply at the meter, would it be okay to put the water heater into pilot mode, or does it need to be turned completely off? The water heater is located in the garage, but has an walled enclosure built around it with a door if that makes a difference. Also, after turning the water off at the meter, should I turn on the hot water side of faucets to drain the lines and relieve pressure like the cold water side, or will this drain the water heater, thereby creating more of a problem?

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I have the same questions. Following.

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Bump on these questions if anyone has experience with this.

hijakeroo123 said:

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BigAg_12 said:

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hijakeroo123 said:

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Thank y'all for the tips! If I turn off the water supply at the meter, would it be okay to put the water heater into pilot mode, or does it need to be turned completely off? The water heater is located in the garage, but has an walled enclosure built around it with a door if that makes a difference. Also, after turning the water off at the meter, should I turn on the hot water side of faucets to drain the lines and relieve pressure like the cold water side, or will this drain the water heater, thereby creating more of a problem?

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I have the same questions. Following.

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Bump on these questions if anyone has experience with this.

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A lot of water heaters have 'Vac' or 'Vacation' mode. That's probably what I'd pick if you're not going to drain it. It keeps it warmer than pilot, but doesn't keep it hot.

If you cut off the supply and open a hot water fixture, you won't drain the tank since the hot water outlet is on the top of the tank. The only place you can really drain a tanked water heater is the spigot at the bottom of the tank.

So don't turn off water heaters, just set to vacation or pilot mode? And I understanding that properly?

texag06ish said:

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So don't turn off water heaters, just set to vacation or pilot mode? And I understanding that properly?

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If you're not going to drain it, then yes, I'd put it in vacation mode. If you're going to drain it, then turn it off.

Regarding the pilot: check your water heater model, but most modern gas water heaters with pilot lights have an automatic pilot that restarts in case the pilot goes out. This is for safety and convenience both.

I believe Ben is talking about turning the water heater off so the main burner is not heating the tank and therefore off. Not sure what the state of a pilot light might be in that case...

ravingfans said:

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I believe Ben is talking about turning the water heater off so the main burner is not heating the tank and therefore off. Not sure what the state of a pilot light might be in that case...

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No... I mentioned in the post above how Vacation mode works, but, better yet, here's more info from a random AO Smith Manual:

Quote:

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The Vacation (VAC) mode sets the thermostat at approximately 55F and is recommended when not using hot water for an extended period of time. The VAC setting also reduces energy losses and keeps the tank from freezing during cold weather

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And here's where it's located on a typical setting dial:


But to your point - every heater may be different. It's worth a browse through your manual to see what it recommends for not using for extended periods of time. Side-note, I helped a buddy swap a new AO Smith unit, and when we fired it up, the pilot sizzled due to water dripping on it. My stomach dropped thinking that it had a tank leak, but we pulled up the manual and discovered that it's typical for a first time start-up due to condensation from the factory. I've never had that happen on a Rheem. Reading the manual is a lost art in the information age, myself included.

Checked my manual. No vacation mode on my water heater. It does state that it should be drained it they might be subjected to freezing temps.

I might give their customer service a call.

I have a closet on the outside of my house on the north wall for one of my water heaters. First winter in this house. It's enclosed with a door and adjoins directly to our master bath. Do I need to do anything in there for additional protection or am i likely ok?

Quote:

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To be safe, you could just drain off a small portion of the water inside to give it room for expansion inside the tank.

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This would make no difference. A water heater is a closed system, if the water freezes/expands, where is that is displaced air going to go?

dtkprowler said:

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I've seen some people open a faucet on one end of the house and apply air compressor to a faucet on the other end of the house. I'll see if I can find a video.

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At 4:00 OMG that's effin disgusting. Bare hands right in the toilet bowl, that other people use!

Dang. Oh Well. Might be a good time to drain it anyway. At least here, the sediment builds up fast due to the hard water and need to be drained annually.

A lot of info on here. Maybe someone can provide a short, bulleted list of steps to take in preparation?

You could... but it doesn't do anything.

Frost-proof spigots move the valve and water well back into the thermal envelope of the building so they don't freeze. Freeze misers require the spigots to be open to allow the water to flow and prevent it from freezing.

Two totally different methods of protection that don't really combine to provide any extra mitigation against freezing..

For those that drip faucets (interior and exterior), what rate of drip do you use? I've seen some say it needs to be closer to a stream than a true drip, or is it just more of a rapid drip?

The Dog Lord said:

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For those that drip faucets (interior and exterior), what rate of drip do you use? I've seen some say it needs to be closer to a stream than a true drip, or is it just more of a rapid drip?

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If you're home to watch it and adjust if necessary, I'd start with an actual drip. Somewhere around 2 drops a second. If you're gone, I'd go with the smallest stream you can get.

BenTheGoodAg said:

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mrmill3218 said:

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A lot of info on here. Maybe someone can provide a short, bulleted list of steps to take in preparation?

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What?!? You want someone to compile this information for you?

Aren't you constantly trying to provide bids for people on this site? Seems like a good opportunity to contribute with your knowledge/skills as a contractor...

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I know about building things. I'm no expert in steps to take in preparation for a freeze.

mrmill3218 said:

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A lot of info on here. Maybe someone can provide a short, bulleted list of steps to take in preparation?

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1. Shut off water to the house
2. Open faucets to drain all plumbing (I leave them open)
3. Turn off hot water heater
4. Drain hot water tank - should be a strong stream of water through garden hose from outlet at bottom of water heater
5. Cover all outside hose bibs (faucets). If the Styrofoam ones are not available, then a small towel/washcloth wrapped in plastic with duct tape will do the job

Did I leave anything out?

If you have trouble draining the hot water tank, here is a YouTube that will help. I had to disconnect the hot water input before mine started flowing. If you do disconnect, be sure to reconnect after the tank is drained so when someone turns the water back on you don't have a mess!!

chickencoupe16 said:

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The Dog Lord said:

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For those that drip faucets (interior and exterior), what rate of drip do you use? I've seen some say it needs to be closer to a stream than a true drip, or is it just more of a rapid drip?

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If you're home to watch it and adjust if necessary, I'd start with an actual drip. Somewhere around 2 drops a second. If you're gone, I'd go with the smallest stream you can get.

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I did around 2-3 per second in 21 and had no real issues. One faucet outside froze, but after 10-15 seconds with a heat gun it opened up. I cracked it just a hair more and it was fine.


One more thing to add to the list here though, consider water softeners and protecting them. I had mine installed in our laundry room specifically because it's conditioned and I wouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing.