freezing – BIG

We live permanently at our four-season cottage, a well-insulated Viceroy home with forced-air propane heating and back-up electric baseboard heaters in the basement. We want to go south this winter for six to eight weeks. (I will drain the water from the pipes.) What is the ideal temperature to keep the home at during this period? I was thinking about 8°C to 10°C, but I have heard that this could cause dampness and eventually lead to mould.—Michael Oke, via email

Don Fugler, an independent building researcher in Ottawa, thinks that temperature is reasonable for the length of winter absence you’re describing. “If there’s a ventilation system—even a small bathroom fan that’s designed for continuous usage—running it would be helpful in keeping the interior dry,” he says. He also recommends that you leave interior curtains and blinds open. “They can create micro-environments that may lead to condensation. I like to leave the windows without coverings, and leave all the interior doors open, including the door to the basement.”

Tankless hot water heaters in cold temperatures

This should keep the mould away, assuming your place doesn’t have an existing moisture problem (from, for example, water that’s not being properly diverted away from the cottage or cracks in the foundation). You probably know already if you’ve got a damp basement. Indicators include a musty smell and finding water-damaged belongings. “The inability to store cardboard boxes is a strong sign,” says Fugler.

Okay, so heating the cottage while you’re gone is a good idea. But if you’re going to do that, is draining the pipes in fact necessary? Well, no. “Temperature wise, at anything above zero, pipes are not going to freeze,” says Shawn Groulx of Express Plumbing and Heating in Red Deer, Alta. That said, “it’s still a good practice.”

How to make your three-season plumbing work all winter

If you don’t drain the pipes, he recommends that you shut off the main water valve and open the taps. It’s not only cold temperatures that can mess with your plumbing, says Groulx. A tiny problem could turn into a catastrophic, gushing leak while you’re away. Holy basement dampness!

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I have a septic tank built into the side of a hill with minimal protection from frost. A submersible effluent pump moves the contents directly to the weeping tiles. I have always removed the pump in winter for fear of damage caused by freezing. Is this necessary or can I just leave it in the tank?—Stumped by the Pump

“I’ve seen lots of pumps freeze solid in winter and then thaw fine in the spring,” says Dale McLure, the president of the Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association. Still, better safe than a mangled pump. “If you’ve been successful in removing the pump every winter, there’s nothing wrong with continuing to do that.” As long as you keep doing it correctly, taking out the pump guarantees nothing will happen to it and, as McLure points out, “it’s not really an exorbitant amount of time or effort.”

6 things that should never go in your septic tank

In general, anything you can do to shield your septic system from a winter beatdown gets the thumbs up from the experts. This includes protecting the line from damage (by having it buried below the frost line, so it’s insulated; by keeping it heated; or by draining it completely), and insulating the septic tank with, for example, a layer of 2″ SM insulation or extruded polystyrene foam overtop, covered with soil, says septic inspector Sandy Bos. “It’s good for the overall health of the system. Bacteria thrive in warm temperatures, not cold ones.”

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