House Winterizing


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Old 09-02-08, 12:24 PM
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House Winterizing

I would like to winterize an uninhabited house using antifreeze in the hot water heating system. How much antifreeze do I need for a 3 story sytem with 2 heating zones? Can the antifreeze stay in the system year-round? Should I drain the domestic water and fill all the traps with antifreeze? Where do you get this stuff?
 
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Old 09-02-08, 01:47 PM
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Let me ask you a question.

How big of a pan do I need to fry this fish I caught?

The answer, of course, depends upon how big the fish is and the answer to your first question is that it depends entirely on how much water your system holds AND how cold it might get. Without knowing both of those variables it is not possible to give you a definite quantity of anti-freeze that is needed.

Although I prefer to NOT have any anti-freeze in the system at all it IS possible to leave it in the system year round. Since the anti-freeze changes the heat transfer characteristics of the water you want the lowest concentration that will protect the system at the lowest expected temperature.

Any plumbing that holds water will need to either be completely drained or have anti-freeze added. That includes sinks, toilets, bath tubs, showers, dishwashers, clothes washers, floor drains and maybe some more that I can't think of off hand.

For the plumbing the easiest is probably RV anti-freeze and for the heating system you want an inhibited (against corrosion) propylene glycol. Do NOT use an ethylene glycol such as is used in automobiles as it is a deadly poison. You can probably get the inhibited propylene glycol from a large plumbing and heating supply and the container should have instructions on how much antifreeze is needed for a specific volume of the heating system. You will also want the test kit to determine when the inhibitor has lost its effectiveness and the entire system needs to be flushed and recharged.

You may wish to ask around your area for someone that does these winterizing chores and contract the work.
 
 

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