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(616) 207-4097Maybe the garden hose is still connected. Maybe there’s an uninsulated pipe over the crawl space nobody has looked at since spring. The first hard freeze is often when you discover what was forgotten. How much does it cost to winterize a house? The honest answer may be less than expected. The price goes up once the work calls for a plumber or heating technician.
Will the house be occupied? A family home with the furnace running needs a different kind of preparation than a cottage that will stand empty until April. The latter may need to have its water shut off and its plumbing drained.
How Much Does It Cost to Winterize a House?
HomeAdvisor gives $65 to $1,000 as the usual national range, with an average of about $250.
For a better estimate, look at the jobs your house actually needs. Published estimates for pipe insulation range from about $1 to $11 per foot. An HVAC inspection may be the largest item in that group at about $200 to $400. Homes with boilers or lawn sprinklers have more to account for. Draining and flushing a boiler may cost $75 to $200, and sprinkler winterization typically runs $55 to $130.
Of course, none of those prices accounts for something already broken. Labor costs also differ from one part of Michigan to another. If a shutoff valve is stuck, a pipe is leaking or the equipment is difficult to reach, that has to be figured into the job.
What Changes the Price?
The layout affects how much it costs to winterize a house. A pipe running through a heated basement is better protected than one tucked above a garage ceiling or against a windy outside wall.
Then there’s the amount of equipment involved. Each bathroom adds fixtures and supply lines. A boiler, well or sprinkler system brings its own shutdown or maintenance steps. Old valves may not turn when tested, and a plumber may spend more time reaching a pipe in a cramped crawl space than insulating it.
Vacant homes present another problem. Turning the heat down saves money, but it also leaves less room for error during a power outage or severe cold snap. A plumbing inspection can also identify leaks, stubborn shutoffs and exposed lines while there’s still time to fix them.
How to Winterize a House: Plumbing Checklist for Occupied Homes
Most Michigan homes aren’t being closed for the season. People will be living in them, using the water and running the furnace. In those homes, plumbing winterization is less about draining everything and more about finding the places where cold air can reach the pipes.
Take a lap around the house before freezing weather arrives:
- Begin outside. Remove garden hoses, empty them and put them away. If an outdoor faucet has its own indoor shutoff, close that valve, open the faucet and leave it open so the short section of pipe can drain. A fitted cover adds another layer of protection.
- Check the basement, crawl space and garage next. Foam sleeves can help with bare, reachable pipes. Gaps where plumbing passes through a wall or floor may need sealing, provided the work won’t interfere with a vent.
- Find the main water shutoff. You don’t want the first test to happen after a pipe has split. The valve should move without being forced.
- Give the heating system some attention as well. Replace a dirty filter, and don’t let the house grow dangerously cold to save a few dollars. Keep the garage door shut when water lines run nearby.
During a bitter cold spell, open the cabinet beneath a sink if its pipes sit along an outside wall. The American Red Cross also suggests allowing cold water to trickle from a faucet supplied by an exposed line. It doesn’t take much flow.
Service Professor’s guide to preparing plumbing for a Michigan deep freeze explains where pipes are most likely to be exposed.
Winterizing the Plumbing in a Vacant House
Learning how to winterize a house’s plumbing takes more care when nobody will be there to spot a failed furnace or dripping pipe.
The water is usually shut off at the main first. From there, the supply lines have to drain, along with the water heater if the manufacturer’s instructions call for it. Water can remain trapped in low sections, so some systems are cleared with compressed air. Sinks and toilets need attention as well. A well pump, softener, boiler, dishwasher or refrigerator water line can complicate the job.
One missed pocket of water may be enough to split a pipe. Using the wrong antifreeze creates another problem. A plumber can prepare the system for that particular house and leave instructions for putting everything back into service in spring.
What Can You Do Yourself?
You don’t need a plumber to remove a garden hose or snap an insulated cover over an outdoor faucet. Replacing the furnace filter is straightforward, too. If you can see an exposed pipe in an unfinished area, a correctly sized foam sleeve may be all it needs.
Use the walk-around for observation as much as repair. Note the draft near a pipe, the garage door that doesn’t close tightly or the snow drifting toward a furnace vent. Don’t reach into the vent or start dismantling equipment.
Boilers and pressurized line clearing belong to trained technicians. Stop there, too, if the job involves fuel, live wiring or pipes whose route you can’t follow. A line that froze last winter deserves a closer look; covering the nearest visible section may miss the actual cold spot. Service Professor’s guide to frozen pipes identifies several indoor areas that are easy to overlook.
Spend Where the House Is Vulnerable
How much does it cost to winterize a house? There’s no useful single figure without knowing the house. One property may need a filter and two faucet covers. Another may have pipes crossing an unheated crawl space, a boiler to service and irrigation lines to clear.
Walk the property before buying anything. Find the exposed plumbing, test the shutoff valves and take care of existing leaks. That gives you a much better winterization list than spending the same amount in every room.
