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What actually gets drained when a vacation place is shut down for winter?
Shutting off the main and draining the easy-to-reach lines doesn’t necessarily remove water from every part of a plumbing system. Traps, toilet components, appliance connections and low spots can still hold water, so I’m unsure when a basic shutdown is enough and when full winterization is warranted.
For a place that’s unheated and may go a long time between visits, how should the main shutoff and water heater be handled, and what’s the right way to account for water left in fixtures and appliances? Would your advice change if the house stays heated and is checked regularly? I’d rather not assume either routine is freeze-proof just because the main is off.
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For a place left unheated for a long stretch, I’d lean toward full winterization rather than assuming the shutoff and easy-to-drain lines are enough; the water still sitting in traps, toilets, or appliance connections is what makes that shortcut uncertain. In a heated home checked regularly, a simpler shutdown seems reasonable to me only while the heat is dependable. I’d follow the specific water-heater instructions rather than assume one shutdown method fits every system.
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