I don’t have any advise regarding the furnace, but we just had winterizing done yesterday for our sprinkler system and we have both well and spetic too. We’re in Michigan where the ground gets a good freeze and have never had to do anything with the septic or the well to keep them from freezing. The worry that I would have is that no one will be living there because when toilets are flushed and water is run through the pipes on a daily basis (especially hot water) that is what keeps the system from freezing inside. I’ve seen some people leave a couple of their faucets on with a trickle of water coming out for this reason.

If the septic hasn’t been serviced in a while, you may want to have that done, it’s well worth the 250(ish) that it’s costs to have it pumped. If you have a basement with exposed pipes, you’ll want to make sure that they are all wrapped with foam insulators. As for the well it should be fine because the water is 100 ft or more below the surface and won’t freeze and the well pumps are made to work regardless of weather conditions. Also if you have a basement, regardless of the season, you should test the sump pump to make sure it’s not out of order. Just dump some buckets of water in to fill it. Once the water hits a certain level, it should automatically dispose of it. We live on a hill and have never had problems with flooding but we still check our sump pump periodically so if something unexpected were to happen, it would kick in and do it’s job.

If the house is going to get cold enough to freeze inside, look for some of that biodegradable antifreeze stuff the RV and boat guys use. Pour it in all the drains and toilets.

Thanks, lukki and Weedmeister. My folks did normal winterizing in the past, when they were snowbirds: outdoor sill clocks, having us go over regularly to check things and flush toilets/run water, bleed the garage heater, sometimes do laundry. Bot for this we are thinking the extreme type of Winterizing where we drain all the pipes, empty the faucets, and I guess add some antifreeze to the toilets. What I don't like about that is, I don't mind working in a cold house (sorting and discarding) but I'd like a toilet closer than Panera's. There's a big jug of water-cooler-water and with a manual pump for quick hand wash, as well as of course HandiWipes.

Thanks for thinking of the septic. I'll check when it was last serviced.

Fortunately it's winter so the sumps shouldn't be a problem...until March.

I wonder if draining the pipes includes the big tank near the well pump? I'll ask my Dad. One saving grace is that his stroke didn't impede his ability to tell me where things are, who the servicers are, and even whence to draw the money to pay for it all.

I’m sorry you’re having to mess with all this and I hope your Dad will be ok. I was a realtor and have seen my fair share of vacant houses with frozen/busted pipes. Your dad is lucky that you’re on this like hot cakes!

The pumps in the washer and the dishwasher should be drained or they will freeze and crack. Also if the house has forced hot water heat the heating pipes and radiators should be drained, they can crack also.

What kind of heat? Hard well water does a big number on hot water heat pipes, the ones that go through the heating element to heat up if you have steam or hot water heat. My old house had hard water, and I had to have the pipes acid cleared three times in 12 years. There were efficiency and pressure issues that built up over time. There was a limit to how many times you could do that but I hadn't reached it before I moved. I would have installed a water softener if I had the space. Try to figure out why the pipes broke. If it was just an age issue, then you're probably OK because you will get new pipes with the new furnace. At least some of them. Hard water is a big issue with metal pipes. You don't want to totally re-plumb the house, so try to keep repairs to a minimum when replacing your old boiler.

Oh, edited to add that I don't know if you are going to replace or fix the busted boiler? Doing that right away may preclude having to do all the other stuff no? I'd hate to see you close down the place and then shortly after have to restart it all. I guess it depends on your timeline for replacing the boiler.

Edited again that you can sometimes buy electric heat wraps for pipes, and that might see you through until the boiler is fixed, depending on your timeline and the weather predictions in your area. Not a bad thing to have on hand anyway. The house just has to stay above freezing where the pipes are, and depending on where they are, they may not freeze for a few more weeks. Again, depends on your situation, I would err on the side of caution, but still try to keep it as convenient and little hassle for myself as possible. I'm sure you know the drill on that!

Pink, it's a light industrial/commercial system installed in a residential home. Take my advice, go standard whenever possible. There's a boiler, and the hot water heats the air, which the goes through the ducts. Pneumatics, thermostats, air handlers, pumps, these are the words that spin through my head when I have to deal with it.

Jojoco, thank you, I have no experience with that, and I think that's exactly what we will do. Good to have a price, I'm sure ours will be different but at least I have a starting point.

Hcbm, thanks for the reminder of the dishwasher. The existing one died last year and it can't be replaced or removed (don't ask) but hopefully it can be drained.

Forever homes? Bah. Don't do that to your children and grandchildren.

If the dishwasher is non-functional and hasn't been used in a long time there is probably no water left. It should have evaporated. Good luck, many years ago I had a weekend house freeze solid two times in one winter. We had to replace every pipe, twice.

Wow, replace every pipe? Yikes, I can't even imagine that in Dad's house.

JoJoco, is it a big deal to un-winterize the house? What do you have to do?

Winterizing a year round home is much different than winterizing a seasonal camp or cottage, which are typically set up to easily winterize, with shut off valves accessible and in the right places; under the kitchen sink, bathroom, etc. Year round homes, with limited or not-ideally-placed shut off valves, multiple bathrooms, laundry, outside hose connections, are much more difficult to fully winterize.

I don't know why the HVAC contractor can't install a new boiler/furnace immediately, it makes no sense to me to winterize a year round home for 3 weeks, were you planning on fully winterizing anyway? And if so, really think about the cost and risk of winterizing, or trying to winterize, a year round home vs. the cost of fuel to keep it at a toasty 45F all winter.

Good luck!

Lakeaffect, there's asbestos involved, that's part of the issue. Also that this type of boiler isn't made anymore, and the assembly is not normal. And it's a holiday week. And the cost. The house will be going on the market within the year, but replacing the boiler will not be a selling point. Future owners will want to replace the system, to gas forced air (at least they should), and may even tear it down.

Oh, that's so difficult, yikes. But also bear in mind that a future homeowner may not be able to get a mortgage on a property without central heating (at least in my state, not sure about all), tho if it's in a teardown neighborhood, that may not be an issue, they would likely pay cash and get a mortgage, if necessary, on the new build. Sounds like you need an HVAC contractor you can trust to discuss your options. And my apologies for assuming cost would not be an issue, I know it usually is, and I didn't mean to minimize such an important consideration.

What I don't like about that is, I don't mind working in a cold house (sorting and discarding) but I'd like a toilet closer than Panera's

I'm assuming that this place is on a sizable lot if it has a well and septic? If so, I'd suggest just setting up some kind of temporary toilet (ie. a bucket) that you can pee into and dump outside somewhere. For "number two", I'd make the trip to Panera. :)

I'm assuming this would just be the odd time as opposed to being multiple times a day, every day.

If this is just for a few weeks (like your original post says) then how about just buying a few electric heaters and placing them around the house? You just need to keep the temperature above freezing, not comfortably warm.

If it's for the whole winter (like you seem to suggest later) then that probably isn't economically practical.

As far as bathroom facilities, buy a cheapie port a poty. And an electric heater so don't turn off the electricity. We had asbestoes around our pipes. For resale we had to wrap the pipes in heavy duty plastic sheeting. We did that ourselves. Tedious but not difficult. Here's hoping you find a contractor you can trust who can help you figure out the cheapest way to get a new furnace installed if you need to do that for resale. I'm imagining you do unless it is a tear-down.

Well, I don't think we need to go so far as to rent a port-a-potty. Heck, I could wander out to the back 40 if I'm that desperate!

The plumber came (he's familiar with the house) and we walked through and took care of the well pump and emptied all the water outlets. I talked to the well servicer and they will come out when we start the systems back up again (there's a pressure tank). I have a call in to the water softener company ("Hey Culligan Man!" does that date me?) to be sure we handled that thing appropriately (it's in the garage which is normally heated to a comfy 40F or so).

I have been reminded that freezing weather is not just about pipes, so we will take that into consideration as we move forward.

As to the HVAC company, they have serviced this odd setup for many years, and I wouldn't trust anyone else.

GReg, thanks! We have a couple of space heaters, and there are a couple of built-in bathroom heaters, but I'm loathe to leave them on when we are not there, so we plan to turn them all on when we ARE there and switch them off when we leave, till the next day.

I'm absolutely exhausted from today. Also got the proposal for the new boiler. Eek. I thought Halloween was over?

...but I'm loathe to leave them on when we are not there...

If the house is a tear-down, then having it accidentally burn down would be great! You'd get insurance money and would be able to sell an empty lot for more than a lot with a tear down house!

(I'm kidding of course ... well ... sort of)

I didn't mean one of those port a potty units that a company delivers, I just meant a little "chamber pot" type. I saw a bunch of styles of them when I was shopping for some of hubs surgery rehabilitation needs.

Pink, actually, my mother having been a bit of a "prepper" had one left over from Y2K...except I think I put it in the donation pile. but I think I'd be okay, except when it's cold I like to bring coffee to warm up. Oh well, trip to Panera for potty and coffee...and maybe a free cookie.

greg, Shhhhh........ No, I couldn't. I hate dealing with insurance companies. But I'd better finish my inventory quickly.