Hey guys, I wanted your opinions on winterizing my small residential cabin. I've gotten two, completely different, opinions from two of my close friends.

I live in a small 2 bedroom cabin, situated in the woods. The cabin is solar powered, with propane for cooking, hot water and refrigeration. Wood for heat. The cabin is sealed up pretty tight from an insulation standpoint, Pella windows, just like most homes.

I am going to be away for a few months over the winter. Obviously, wood heat is out. Here is my quandary, for which I am receiving two completely separate opinions from my friends..

1. It has been suggested that I install a small (10k btu) blue flame wall heater with a thermostat, dial it down and keep it on the absolute minimum temp.. say for instance, 60F, keeping everything warm and toasty. I can have a buddy swap out tanks, though I doubt its gonna drain two 100 pound LP tanks with any speed (on an automatic pressure switch.) He said that leaving the cabin cold over winter, despite being buttoned up pretty good, would grow mold.

2. The second, and completely opposing suggestion was to button her up, drain the water, and leave her be. His theory being, since it's sealed up good, no moisture is going to gather inside, so leaving it over winter, to gradually move up and down with the ambient temperature, wouldn't harm the ceramic tile, laminate floor, drywall, ect. In addition, he stated that the moisture from the blue flame propane heater would grow mold, due to the large amount of moisture they put out.

So who's right here? What should I do???

#2

propane can add A lot of moisture to a place specially if it's tight.

I've left a 3600 sq.ft. log home in CO, and a 1200 sq. ft. board sided cabin on a creek in MO vacant for months, by draining & turning everything off. The more "dead" I can keep the space, the better. If you're not there, the less going on, the better. It's a good chance to use insect foggers, though- really heavily, on your last exit.

I have several friends that just close their places up with no heat and spend the winter down south. They seem to have no mold issues.

Drain the water out of everything including hot water heater, and don't for get the traps at each sink and toilet. Pour pink antifreeze in these.

When I do my RV, I drain the hot water heater, then use a small hose and siphon what's in the bottom. I pump pink stuff through all the pipes, then I hook a compressor up to the outside water connection and blow everything out. This may be overkill, but I've never had a freeze problem.

Always been my understanding that the type of heater you are describing puts a lot of moisture into the air.

I see no problem with buttoning up the cabin for the winter. We do it with our cabin up north, no problem.

I have a 1400 sq.ft. house (cabin) modern built in the UP, I have keep heated with a propane furnace every winter for 16 years at 55 degrees and know a bunch of people that do the same thing.

We do go up once a month for 7-10 days and use the wood stove for heat.

Also had a 800 sq.ft. hunting cabin modern built in UP for 20 years that was only used for 3 weeks in November with wood heat. It never had heat unless we were there.

Never had a problem with either one.

If you are going to use the place during the winter I would heat it, if your not going to use it just winterize it.

If you winterize it then go up during the winter and heat the place that could cause problems with moisture. When you leave and turn the heat off all the moisture in the air will freeze. A person will give off a quart of water a day, plus cooking will give off more.

We have a summer place we drain and leave cold Oct 15 to May 15. Its been doing well for the last 90 years or so. Our place isn't really very tight so within reason inside humidity follows the outside. Its on a lake so until temps drop enough to dry the air out there is some humidity. No mold problems for us.

I would vote for #2,

If it is dry in there when you close it up I seriously doubt you will have a mold problem in two months in the winter. Not sure I would try that here in South Florida but if your worried about pipes freezing you aint down here.
If it was me I would go with the button up program and not worry about it.

Thanks for all the quick responses guys. Looks like it's pretty much unanimous, I'll seal her up and let her be.

I'll be running the wood stove up until the time I go, so it ought to be nice and dry from the get go.

Thanks again!

heres another for sealing her up and letting her be. when we had our cabin (which was actually a 140 yr old shack) it had wood heat, never left it heated, and never had any mold.

Exactly as we have been doing with our summer vacation home for many years that's locked up tighter than a drum for 10 months or longer each year. Very rarely small areas of mildew. Clean, enjoy, lock 'er up and enjoy the following season.

This ain't rocket science. JEEZE LOUISE !!!!

The best way to protect pipes is shut the water off, open the connection where it comes in the crawlspace and install a female garden hose fitting on the house side. I have 2 valves there to make that easier, less exposure to black widows. I hook up a small sump pump with a garden hose, drop it in a 5 gal. bucket & pump RV antifreeze thru the system. I used to unhook the water heater feed lines and connect 'em together, now have valves there also. Doesn't take long to get the AF thru everything & the P-traps will get enough at the same time. Hook a compressor to one side of the water heater feed, plug the outlet drain and use a compressor to blow out the tank.

See my above post but I must ask.



We keep our vacation home in the low 40s. No problem. Why in the world would you keep an uninhabited building "warm & toasty".

Been doing it for many, many years.

Another opinion in the drain the system and be done with it.

When we built our cabin we ran all the water lines on a fall to ball valves located at the lowest points. Just turn the water supply off, open ball valves and all outlets to prevent any air locks and use rv anti-freeze in the toilet and sink traps. easy easy

This.

The total solution!

agree

do the same but also added a valve to connect an air compressor to and blow the lines for good measure

no heat...no mold

#2.

Windshield washer fluid in the traps.

either way you do it the water is the biggest concern. pink anti freeze in the traps and blow out the lines.
we have wintered in AZ a few times and have just left a blue flame heater going but set at 45" . never had moisture problems. winter is the driest season here and we generally put a pot of water on the stove to add moisture.
just remember the toilet traps as i have seen those shatter the most.
ps dont know where you are located but it can get -30 here.

#2 ESPECIALLY if the propane heater does not exhaust outside.

RV antifreeze in traps. Water lines drained at lowest point/blown out.

Dont forget the mouse traps.

Location? Expected temps?

#2

What happens if your propane runs out......even for a day or 2?