Dewinterizing plumbing in a condo

Thanks to google, I found lots of helpful advice here already! From what I've read on old threads, it sounds like "dewinterizing" is not a particularly difficult process that a home owner could do themselves?

I'm closing on a winterized condo next week. The water is still on to it since it is controlled, almost everything works (the shower does not, that is another issue, I suspect it is a bad cartridge), and I had it dewinterized and rewinterized a few weeks ago for the inspection, but the seller/bank is refusing to do it again before closing.

Is this something I can easily do myself, turn all the valves back on and just run water? Or is it more complicated and I should call in a professional?

Thanks in advance!

Water faucets and valves should be open. The water heater should be empty, the toilet tanks should be empty and the bowls should either be empty or have RV anti freeze in them. When you turn the water back on, the incoming water will push the air from the lines, refill the toilets, and water heater. Shut them off working from the front to the rear. The hot water will take longer to purge that the cold because the water heater must fill before water will get into the hot water lines. Do not turn the water heater on (gas or electric) until the water is running freely from the hot water faucet furthest from the tank. Flush the toilets, turn the water heater on and you're done. Don' forget there may be outside hose bibs that need to be turned off. It's really just the reverse of winterizing except when you are winterizing, getting all of the water out of the pipes can sometime be a challenge. About the only thing you can really screw up is the water heater if turn the gas or electricity on before the tank is filled.

Usually is that simple, yes. Open up a faucet, bathtub, or something before the main so you don't get much air pressure built up (but one is likely still open) and run the water for a while as the pipes will have some nastiness in them.

Doh! A minute late with much less helpful information. Now leaving plumbing forum to the knowledgeable ones....

That minute late with a post is my usual fate. Glad to share.

Is the plan to turn the heat off? What was done to prepare for that? Is this in an area that will get and stay below freezing?

Turning things back on is pretty simple. Preparing it for freezing temps is not. If you can leave the heat on and keep the place say at 45-50, depending on if you have any pipes in the outside walls, you may not need to do anything.

It's not all that easy to get all of the water out of the pipes, and any low spots could cause the pipe to burst. Porcelain like in a toilet tank will break if it freezes with water in it.

They do make special antifreeze to winterize things like RV's that would work. It's not all that hard, but if you miss something, you could have problems.

Is the building heat a boiler or furnace? That will also make a big difference on what you need to do.

Thanks for the responses. To answer a few questions:

- Nothing outside was turned off to my knowledge since it's an upper level condo unit (apartment-style building), but I will verify that with the building handyman.

- The water heater is not turned off, it services the whole building instead of being an individual one in the unit.

- The heat is currently turned off because the former owner was in arrears on condo association dues, and we do live in a cold climate (Chicago), but I have looked at it 3 or 4 times during very cold weather (-10), and because it is a top floor condo with two interior walls, it has never been below 65 degrees when I've been there. I was very surprised when they told me the heat was shut off. All the plumbing runs along interior walls. The HOA will turn the heat back on the day I close, already talked to the President (self-managed) and am on good terms there.

- The building heat is a boiler, maintained by the condo association.

Thanks for all the good input! I am going to put a call into the building handyman in the next couple of days (I'd like to see if he can try and repair the shower for me), so he should also have specific insight into this building.

condo

IF the water is on, or has been turned on, then it was, or is, not winterized, because that involves turning off the water and then draining all, or most, of the water out of the piping. Apparently that was either not done, or could not be done, in that building. Turning off the heat with the water turned on was playing Russian Roulette, because the upper floor can get colder, if the heat loss into the roof is greater than the heat gain from the lower unit.

IF the water is on, or has been turned on, then it was, or is, not winterized, because that involves turning off the water and then draining all, or most, of the water out of the piping. Apparently that was either not done, or could not be done, in that building. Turning off the heat with the water turned on was playing Russian Roulette, because the upper floor can get colder, if the heat loss into the roof is greater than the heat gain from the lower unit.

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I got confuse, what do you mean IF the water is on, or has been turned on? its always on.

hj said:

IF the water is on, or has been turned on, then it was, or is, not winterized, because that involves turning off the water and then draining all, or most, of the water out of the piping. Apparently that was either not done, or could not be done, in that building. Turning off the heat with the water turned on was playing Russian Roulette, because the upper floor can get colder, if the heat loss into the roof is greater than the heat gain from the lower unit.

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Hmmmm. I'm going to have to look into this further. I'm going to try to get the phone number of the plumber who did the "winterization." It is all taped up, notices of winterization, etc, but I was told by the HOA that they can't shut off water to just one unit. They can turn off the valves at the sinks and toilets, though.

I wonder if this could possibly have something to do with the water not working in the shower during my inspection. That's the only item that didn't have an individual valve in the unit.

Lots of learning for me to do.

The term "winterize" commonly means the water is turned off, the pipe completely drained, traps filled with RV antifreeze, water heater off and drained, and toilet tanks drained. Anything less that that means the unit was not or is not winterized. As far as the shower not working, it is likely there are shut off valves for individual fixtures. If true the water can not be turned off to individual units, whoever designed the building was insane.

Gary Swart said:

The term "winterize" commonly means the water is turned off, the pipe completely drained, traps filled with RV antifreeze, water heater off and drained, and toilet tanks drained. Anything less that that means the unit was not or is not winterized. As far as the shower not working, it is likely there are shut off valves for individual fixtures. If true the water can not be turned off to individual units, whoever designed the building was insane.

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Thank you. I spoke with the building handyman today and he verified that the water cannot be turned off to individual units. He is going to come in and take a look, get the shower up and running, etc for ~$60. Likely money well spent for me.

Hey, it's a foreclosure that appraised at 20% over purchase price, so I can't be too upset, right?

Thanks for all the great input. I am going to do a lot more reading on these forums and try to learn all I can. I also have to replace the fill mechanism or float or I don't know what on a toilet in a second bathroom... I think that's probably more my speed!

I hope your heat is on

maybe you are in Florida.,, but if you are
in another part of the usa that is now below freezeing

I hop e that your heat works and you or someone is paying
the heating and light bill...

The reason they dont want you to fool with it is becasue
no one wants to take the responsibility for the pipes freezeing or something flooding the condo before the closeing...

or if the furnace fails and the place freezes solid.., ect, ect... anything could happen in a repo...



then you are in a mess..

Kurzweil said:

Thank you. I spoke with the building handyman today and he verified that the water cannot be turned off to individual units.

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That's a pretty stupid setup. The condo board should hire somebody to change it. Or be willing to pay for heating empty units. Water on, no heat... sounds like they got lucky this time, but if that's how they keep doing it, one of these days it's bound to cause a disaster.