Opening a Mountain Cabin for Spring: Plumbing Steps

Before you turn anything on

Spend ten minutes looking before you open a single valve. Walk the house and the crawl space door. You are looking for signs that something let go during the winter: stains on the ceiling, a bulge in drywall, puddles on the floor, rust-colored streaks, or a smell of mildew. Any of those mean a pipe may have split after a freeze, and turning the water on will make it worse.

Then close everything. Shut every faucet, push every drain stopper down, close the valve on any outdoor hose bib, and make sure the washing machine and dishwasher are off. If you drained the system last fall, the drain valves at the low points should be closed again. Our guide on how to winterize your pipes explains how the system was put to sleep, so you can reverse it in the right order.

Step one: open the main valve slowly

The main valve is a lever or a round handle where water enters the house. If you are not sure where yours is, read our page on finding and closing the water main. Open it a little at a time instead of all at once. A slow start lets air escape and keeps sudden pressure off old fittings.

After the main is open, stay near it for a few minutes. Listen. Water running inside the walls when every tap is closed means a leak. If you hear it, close the main again and move on to the section on splits below.

On a well, the order is a little different. Check the breaker label for the well pump, look at the pressure tank and its gauge, and turn the pump on only after you have walked the house and found no leaks. A pump that runs into a broken pipe will run until the tank is empty.

Step two: fill the water heater before you power it

This is the step people skip, and it can destroy a water heater. An electric heater with an empty tank can burn out its heating elements in minutes. A gas or propane heater with no water in it can overheat the tank.

1. Make sure the water heater's power is off at the breaker, or the gas control is on off.
2. Close the drain valve at the bottom of the tank, if it was left open for winter.
3. Open the cold water valve on the heater.
4. Open the nearest hot water faucet in the house, and let it run until a steady stream comes out with no sputtering. That means the tank is full and the air is out.
5. Only then turn the breaker back on, or relight the pilot or turn the gas control up.

Look at the pan and floor around the heater while it fills. A new drip at the tank or a fitting can show up after months of sitting. Our page on a leaking water heater explains what the different spots mean, and the water heater service page covers repair and replacement.

Step three: walk the house and look for splits

A pipe that froze in winter often splits without leaking, because the ice itself plugs the crack. When it thaws and pressure returns, the split opens. That is why the first hour with the water on matters.

• Open each cabinet under a sink and feel the bottom and the back wall for wetness. Run the tap and check again.
• Look at the ceiling below any upstairs bathroom.
• Check the crawl space with a flashlight, especially along the runs that were not insulated.
• Look at the supply lines to toilets, and at the washing machine hoses.
• Walk the outside wall where hose bibs are and look for water running down the siding.

If you find one, shut off the main valve, and take a photo before you touch anything. Then read our page on a burst pipe or frozen pipes.

Step four: flush the stale water out

Water that sat in pipes for months can taste and smell off. Open every tap, hot and cold, one at a time, and let it run until it looks clear. Flush each toilet a few times. Run the shower and tub, and run the washing machine on a rinse cycle if you can.

If you used antifreeze in the traps or lines, flush until you can no longer see color or smell anything sweet. Use only the kind made for drinking water systems. Pour fresh water down every drain afterward to refill the traps, so sewer gas stays out of the house.

If water from a well smells like rotten eggs after sitting, that is common. Our article on sulfur smell in well water explains the usual causes and when to call.

The septic and well after a quiet winter

Septic systems like steady use. After months of an empty house, run water in small amounts first, instead of doing laundry and showers back to back on day one. Watch for a toilet that gurgles, a drain that is slow, or damp ground near the tank. Septic pumping is a job for a septic company, while Ryan handles septic system repair when a part has failed.

For the well, listen for the pump. It should start, build pressure, and stop. A pump that clicks on and off quickly is a sign of trouble with the pressure tank, so see our page on well pump short cycling. If there is no water at all, start with the breaker and the pressure switch, then read no water from a well.

Outside and last checks

Turn the hose bibs on one at a time and watch the wall behind each for leaks. A hose bib that dripped before winter often drips worse now. Ryan repairs outdoor hose bibs, and a drip on a line that runs into the house is worth a call.

Before you unpack, write down what you found and what you did, so next fall's shutdown is easier. Keep a list taped inside a cabinet door with the main valve, the water heater breaker and the well pump breaker labeled.

Questions People Ask

Which comes first, the water heater or the faucets?

Open the main slowly, then fill the water heater by opening a hot tap until the water runs steady. Give the heater power or gas only after that. An empty tank with heat on can damage it.

How do I know if a pipe split over winter?

Often you will not see it until water is back on. Look for drips under sinks, stains on ceilings, running water sounds with every tap closed, and wet spots in the crawl space.

Do I have to flush the lines after antifreeze?

If you used antifreeze, yes. Flush every tap and toilet until the water runs clear with no smell or color, and use only the kind made for drinking water systems.

Why does my water smell after the cabin sat all winter?

Water that sits in a tank or in pipes can smell. Flush all the taps, hot and cold, for a while. If the rotten egg smell stays on a well, see our page on sulfur smell.

Can I open the cabin and run laundry on the first day?

Go easy for the first day if you are on septic. Run water in small amounts first, then add laundry later in the weekend.

Who do I call if the well pump will not start?

Check the breaker first. If that is not the problem, call or text Ryan. He installs well pumps and bladder tanks and can check what is happening.

Related Reading

• How to winterize your pipes
• How to shut off your water main
• Frozen pipes: what to do
• Water heater leaking
• No water from the well
• Water heater service