winterize a house, how much to charge.

jonesg

I have clueless neighbors across the street up here in rural Maine, their plumber forgot to winterize their house and it made a bit of a mess, all that damage has been fixed (new oak floor and 2 pipes) but theyre not on speaking terms with the plumber, I spoke to him and it was just an honest mistake.

Anyway since I fixed their furnace (longwood) which didn't need fixing, they asked me to winterize the house. An old feller nearby used to do it for many years and he agreed to show me how he did it…which he did. I gave him $50 for his help.

We drained the water heater, water pump and pressure bladder, shut water off, power off, drained the toilets and filled with RV antifreeze etc.

My question is how much should I charge for this, I'm sure they will need me to open the house up before they come back in spring too.

I'm not keen to do this as risk is high but they said they had called plumbers for miles around and the waiting list was months…..so here I am.

BTW, its a 2 story house with basement, 2 bath showers with toilets sinks etc, kitchen sink, washing machine and dishwasher.

hot_rod

What's your time worth? Plus any antifreeze you may have used.

Jamie Hall

I'd have to say it depends a lot on just where you are located in Maine. On the coast from New Hampshire down to Bar Harbor? A lot. Somewhere upstate north of Augusta? A lot less.

Ask what any skilled craftsman in your area would ask for your time.

Don't forget to make sure that the plumbing really is all drained. Are they leaving the heat on low? I guess not — you mention the power will be off.

GroundUp

Nobody can answer this but you.

hot_rod

Could be a lot more to it. Traps and toilets need to be protected. Dishwasher and washer pumps may have water in them. A compressor with enough CFM to blast all the water lines out. Any condensing appliances need the condensate traps drained.

Plus the liability if you miss something, as you mentioned.

DCContrarian

There's a ton of liability in winterizing houses.

I would guess the reason it's hard to get a plumber to do it is they have insurance, and their insurance company won't let them. A leak that goes undetected can destroy a house in a fairly short time.

And it doesn't matter if these are nice people who would never sue anyone. The way it usually plays out is the homeowner files an insurance claim, and then their insurance comes goes looking for someone to stick with the bill.

Where I have my summer house, insurance companies now require plumbers to wear a Go-Pro when winterizing and video the whole process. What happens fairly often is another family member thinks it will be fun to go up to the house for a weekend, they know where the spare key is and how to turn the water on. But they don't drain things properly. The homeowner shows up at the start of the summer and things are a mess, and they blame the plumber.

EdTheHeaterMan

There is a rule about talking about pricing on this forum. That is why you didn't get any actual numbers from the usual subjects.

You need to have a lawyer look at the wording of the winterization contract you have the customer sign before you agree to do the job. that agreement needs to protect you from a home owner opening. the house without you there to do the job and protect your interest. You want to turn the water on yourself in the spring or whenever the system is recommissioned. That way you can watch the water meter with everything off and be sure that there are no leaks.

After that you have the customer sign off that they witnessed no leaks upon commissioning the water system and that you are off the hook for any water damage from that point on. A good lawyer can get you a good agreement.

There are plenty of plumbers that will blow out water systems for summer homes in seasonal vacation areas and turn the water back on in the spring after the freezing threat is over. I used to work in a seasonal area and it is done all the time.

As far as what to charge. There can be a flat rate that you quote to get the job and upon inspection there may be add-ons for anything over and above the normal winterization job. No home is a One Size Fit All for a job like that.

chris_nj

I do this a lot for realtors with bank foreclosures the time involved can vary wildly. Simple houses with 1 bath and a furnace can be done in an hr add a boiler double the time. I had a mansion with 8 bathrooms 2 100 gal water heaters it took about 5 hrs each time I winterized it. Plan your fee accordingly

TKPK

I do that kind of stuff for friends for free … a dinner or bar night is usually a thank you. There is no insurance and I take no responsibility. If they knew how to do it they would … sometimes they do it with me but don’t learn or trust themselves so I’m doing it again the next year.

I deliver boats the same way. My friends and I get move your boat when and where you want it but I get to go where I want and take a little extra time to enjoy the trip. If something happens, your insurance pays (or you do). I only do this for people that know me and would let me borrow their boat anyway … had my own for 30 years and finally decided that other people’s boats are a lot more fun!

I treat their houses and boats as if they were my own (until there is a problem, then it is your problem but I will get it fixed or fix it myself at your cost)

if you are not a professional, best not to act and charge like you are … I have a lot of experience but don’t charge for something I’m not licensed or insured to do. Just my thoughts …

jonesg

Island Falls Maine, 100 miles north of Bangor, it gets to minus 30F below zero for extended periods most winters.

yesterday I found 20 big litre bottles of coca cola and a case of water in the kitchen on the floor, i told the old feller who helped me and he said it has to come out or it will make another huge mess of the flooring when they freeze. I can't carry it so I put it in a big plastic tub with a lid, at least the mess will be contained, this should not be my problem.

I'm getting what you guys are sayin , the risk to reward is not for amateurs. I'd have no problem doing my own house but I don't like the risk of someone elses property.. I can probably convince the farmer next door, he takes care of cottages down at the lake so he knows how to do it.

I'm retired. don't need any income. i will extricate myself from the situation before getting too involved.

JUGHNE

One item I think could be easily overlooked for winterizing buildings is condensing furnaces and boilers.

If the heating is shut down, there are water traps in many of these units.

Some disassembly would be required to drain the components.

One kid who took care of his house under construction overlooked two things:

He drained everything OK…..but forgot to flush the WC….that got the tank.

He did not open the shower valve and the riser to the head split.

EBEBRATT-Ed

I agree if you don't want the liability then don't charge them. That is the only safe way

SlamDunk

Would it be a bad idea to get a signed waiver eliminating you from liability? If he/she signs it and you agree to do the job ( which ought to have a checklist) then you can happily help out a neighbor without risk.

rick in Alaska

If you only drained the fixtures, and did not blow out the lines with compressed air, then you are going to have a problem. I have done a lot of winterizations in 30 years, and have only had two problems. One fixture that I just forgot about, and a toilet tempering valve that was plugged on the cold side.

I blow out all lines with about 60 psi until no water comes out any more, then I go through and do it again. then it is just antifreeze in all the traps. You have to cycle dishwashers and washing machines to get them properly drained, along with ice makers.

A boiler throws a whole wrinkle in it if there isn't antifreeze in the system.

The largest system I have had to do was a lodge with 11 bathrooms and 2 65 gallon indirects. The boiler portion had antifreeze in it, so I just needed to monitor the level each season.

Rick

Intplm.

All the items you have to winterize. One that I didn't do in the past and do now is unhook the pipe to the frig ice maker.

The best thing to do is make a very strong thorough list and estimate your time from there or just do it T & M.

Mad Dog_2

Since subzero temps are the norm up there, I'd say, don't do it alone. Do it as a one time favor WITH him. Mad Dog