How to Prepare a House to Sit Empty for the Winter

You are leaving for the winter and assume the policy covers the house the same way whether you are in it or not. It usually does not. Most homeowners policies limit or drop coverage after a home sits unoccupied for 30 to 60 days in a row, and a frozen pipe claim can be denied if the owner did not keep the heat on or shut the water off and drain the lines. Do the paperwork first, then the plumbing.

Read the vacancy and freezing wording in your policy

Open the full policy, not the declarations page, and find two passages: the vacancy or unoccupancy condition, which states how many consecutive days the house can be empty, and the freezing exclusion, which states what you must do to keep a frozen pipe covered. Many policies also say how often a competent person has to check the house while you are gone. Write down the exact numbers.

Call the insurer before you leave

Tell the insurer the dates you will be away and ask whether you need a vacancy permit or endorsement for the full stay. Ask them to confirm in writing which perils stay covered for the whole absence, because once a vacancy clause applies, a standard policy can limit or exclude water damage from burst pipes, theft, and vandalism.

Shut off the main and drain the lines

Close the main water shutoff where the line enters the house. Open every indoor and outdoor faucet, starting on the lowest floor so gravity pulls water down from the floors above, and leave them open. If the house has a fire sprinkler system on the domestic supply, closing the main disables it, so ask the insurer and the water utility first.

Turn off and drain the water heater

Switch off the power or gas to the water heater before draining it, then run a hose from the drain valve to a floor drain or outside. If you would rather not drain it, set it to vacation mode where the model has one.

Empty the toilets and protect the traps

Hold the flush lever down until each tank empties, then pour biodegradable antifreeze into every toilet bowl and sink drain so the water sitting in the traps cannot freeze and crack them.

Leave the heat on and arrange checks

Set the thermostat to no lower than 55F so pipes inside exterior walls stay above freezing. Give a neighbor or relative a key, the location of the main shutoff, and the visit schedule your policy requires, and ask them to text you after each visit so there is a record.

If a pipe has already burst. Close the main first, then see how to shut off the water to a burst pipe.

If the house is being sold or emptied of furniture. Say so on the call. In Canada, most policies exclude frozen pipe damage in a vacant home even when the insurer has given permission for the vacancy, so the water must be off and drained.

Sources. DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking on frozen pipe coverage, Triple-I on vacancy clauses and vacancy endorsements, California Department of Insurance residential insurance guide, Insurance Bureau of Canada on extreme cold coverage, Bear Valley Water District winterization steps, Jemez Springs Domestic Water Association winterizing tips.