Cabin Opening/Closing Duties

[SupraFishin]

Hello,

Does anyone have a list that they can share of things that need to be done when closing your cabin up for the winter (for us three-season cabin-ers)and also what needs to be done in the spring time when opening her back up?

thanks!

[JoeMX1825]

off the top of my head....not in order (every cabin setup is different, these are the steps I do, most will be the same for you though)

Winterize:

1) Turn off water pump

2) Drain water pump

3) Drain/Blow out all water pipes

4) anti-freeze in all P traps & Toilet trap

5) turn off main cabin power

6) drain hot water tank

7) empty fridge & freezer, prop the doors open

8) open all faucet handles

9) remove all things that can't freeze (paint, soda cans, etc)

10) get pissed off it's another 6 months until you can use it again..

Summerize:

1) Close all faucet valves, hot water tank valve, remove anti-freeze form p traps

2) Power on water pump

3) prime water pump

4) check to make sure no pipes are leaking, toilet flushes & refills, etc

5) put everything back to normal

6) vacuum everything and repair anything that broke over the winter months

7) enjoy it

[newtofishing]

good list- I would only add mouse traps/poison and seal and possible entrance points

[satchamo]

Don't forget the loaded shotgun rigged to the door that will go off when the door gets kicked in...

Just kidding.

If the place is sitting empty for 5-6 months I would consider shutters for the windows. I know it sends a message to the thieves that the place is empty but it will prevent that tree limb from taking out a window and then letting the critters and the rain/snow in for weeks if not months before you get back.

[Fish Head]

Joe- I'm not a plumber, but I always thought you were supposed to leave the faucets open when you turn the water pump back on to help release the pressure. Am I wrong?

[delcecchi]

here is my list

Fall Chores To Do When Closing the Cabin

1. Pull Dock

2. Dump Plants

3. Mow

4. Winterize riding mower

5. Close attic

6. Scrub/put away deck furniture

7. Mailbox off the road

8. Pull boat, winterize, take to storage

9. Cover Windows

10. Mouse Poison & Spider strips

11. Drain and blow pipes (crawl under cabin)

12. Pump Traps (including toilet)

13. Loosen Toilet hold down bolts

14. Drain Hot Water Heater

15. Drain toilet tank

16. Anti-freeze in all drains.

17. Shut off gas at propane tank

18. Shut off electricity at main disconnect

19 defrost, dry, unplug refigerator

20. Dispose of all trash

21. Call Phone and Satellite TV to go on pause status.

I think that is pretty much it. We have a cabin with only a ring of concrete on the ground for a foundation. It is totally shut down for winter.

[SupraFishin]

Thanks everyone, great lists! Looking to take over the opening and closing duties from our property manager/plumber and do it myself to save some $$.

[leech~~]

here is my list

Fall Chores To Do When Closing the Cabin

I think that is pretty much it. We have a cabin with only a ring of concrete on the ground for a foundation. It is totally shut down for winter.

Del, with you on must everything but: 13. Loosen Toilet hold down bolts?

Never heard or know anyone that does this? Why?

[delcecchi]

My cabin sits on a ring of concrete on the surface, so can move a little with the frost in the ground.

The pipe to the septic may not move in the same way. If you leave the toilet hold down bolts tight and the cabin moves up relative to the pipe in the ground, something has to give.

I would not want to have anything give. So if backing the nuts on the toilet hold downs prevents something bad from happening, it is worth the 5 minutes work.

Maybe I am preventing something that wouldnt't happen anyway.

[leech~~]

Sounds like you must have had something happen at some point in the past? My mothers old cabin that she use to have was up on blocks and leaning to one side a bit over the years. I thought many a spring we would come back to a broken drain pipe!

[delcecchi]

Nope, it is a precaution that was told to us by the previous owner, who built the cabin. May he rest in peace, Art Naughton.

The cabin does move some. Last spring we could hardly get the door open and closed but by later in the spring it was fine.

BTW, don't forget to open the valve in the shower or the water in the pipe from the valve to the shower head, or even from the valve to the feed, can freeze and break. That one was experience.

Keep a torch and a piece of copper pipe and a few fittings somewhere handy, it is a pain to have to run into town in the middle of opening.

[leech~~]

Talk about an old cabin move some. At my mom's old cabin the frig was right next to the door. One year the cabin settled so much the frig moved and blocked the door!

We called it the redneck security system!

[delcecchi]

My buddy's old cabin, before he built a new one, moved enough that he had to redo the shims on top of the blocks it was sitting on every spring. He would be under the cabin with a big hydraulic jack and a level and a pile of boards of various thicknesses.

Oh, and one more thing. There is a check valve on the well I have (shallow well). It needs to be loosened so the water will run back down into the well.

[NilesBayHusker]

one additional Fall chore I suggest is to clean out your rain gutters. this helps prevent ice dams and provides good drainage when the snow melts. I also recommend cleaning them again in the Spring.