Follow these steps to winterize plumbing pipes in a house:
1. Shut off the main water valve, turn off the water pump and the water heater. It will protect heating elements in the water heater when there is no water inside the tank.
2. Open all drain valves and all taps. Check off each on your list, so you are sure all taps are open. A closed tap could create a vacuum that will hold water inside of pipes. All valves and taps should remain open throughout the winter.
3. Using air compressors, blow excess water standing out of the pipes.
4. Open the drain valve in your hot water tank and let it discharge until it is empty. Be careful, because sometimes these hot water tanks don’t have floor drains and you will need to connect a garden hose to it.
5. Drain all the water that is left in the holding tank, especially the one located in the rubber diaphragm, the one that is used along with the water tank to build pressure. As an additional protective measure, add antifreeze to the jet pump case.
6. Flush toilets to remove as much water as you can from the tanks and the toilet bowls. If all water cannot be removed, add antifreeze to prevent any water from freezing and cracking the toilet.
7. Check all sink and tub drains that could have drain traps. Add some antifreeze on each one of them to prevent water from freezing and cracking in the traps.
Read more: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-winterize-plumbing-pipes-844862
