Every fall, a good share of Anderson Island heads south. The car gets loaded, the ferry pulls away from the dock, and somewhere around Olympia the question hits: did I turn the water off?
A Pacific Northwest winter is hard on an empty house. It usually isn’t dramatic cold that does the damage here. It’s months of rain, windstorms that knock out the power, the occasional hard freeze, and nobody home to notice any of it. On an island, small problems also get expensive quickly, because help is a ferry ride away.
Here is the checklist we would walk through before locking the door for the season.
1. Start with the water
Water is the biggest risk in a vacant home. A failed supply line or a frozen pipe can run for weeks before anyone sees it, and the repair bill grows every day it does.
- Shut off the main water supply. If you are on a well, turn the pump off at the breaker too.
- Relieve the pressure. Open a faucet on the lowest level for a minute after the water is off.
- Set the water heater to vacation mode, or switch it off at the breaker.
- Close the small supply valves to the washing machine, toilets, and ice maker. Those hoses and fittings are common failure points.
- Disconnect garden hoses and drain or cover the outdoor spigots.
- Blow out the irrigation system if you have one.
If the house will sit without heat all winter, have a plumber fully winterize the lines. Draining a plumbing system properly is not a good first-time DIY project.
2. Turn the heat down, not off
It is tempting to shut everything off and save on the electric bill. Don’t. Keeping the thermostat somewhere around 50 to 55 degrees protects your pipes during a cold snap and, just as important here, keeps the dampness in check.
- Replace the furnace or heat pump filter before you go.
- Open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air can reach the pipes.
- If you have a smart thermostat, turn on temperature alerts. Just remember that when the power goes out, your Wi-Fi goes with it, so an app is not a substitute for someone checking in person.
3. Fight the damp
Moisture is the quiet problem in western Washington. A house that is closed up tight for four or five months can smell musty by spring, and mildew does not need much encouragement.
- Leave interior doors and closet doors open so air can move through the house.
- Run a dehumidifier set to drain into a sink or floor drain, so it doesn’t shut off when the bucket fills.
- Pull furniture a few inches away from exterior walls.
- Don’t leave damp towels, bath mats, or laundry behind.
- Clean the gutters and downspouts after the leaves come down, or arrange for someone to do it. Clogged gutters send water exactly where you don’t want it: the roof edge, the siding, and the foundation.
4. Plan for power outages
Winter windstorms take out power on the island every year, sometimes for days at a time. Assume it will happen while you are gone.
- Empty the refrigerator and freezer, or at least clear out anything that would spoil. If you unplug them, prop the doors open so they don’t grow mold.
- Leaving the freezer running? Freeze a cup of water and set a coin on top of the ice. If the coin is at the bottom of the cup when you get home, the freezer thawed and refroze, and the food needs to go.
- Unplug electronics and small appliances, or put them on surge protectors. Power coming back on can be as rough on equipment as power going out.
- Service the generator if you have one, and test it before you leave.
- Test the sump pump by pouring a bucket of water into the pit.
5. Don’t feed the mice
Rodents start looking for somewhere warm and dry in the fall, and a quiet house with a stocked pantry is ideal from their point of view.
- Remove any food that is not in a sealed glass, metal, or heavy plastic container. That includes pet food, bird seed, and grass seed in the garage.
- Take out all the trash and recycling, run the disposal, and wipe down the kitchen.
- Seal gaps around pipes, vents, and the garage door. A mouse needs an opening about the size of a dime.
- Close the fireplace damper.
6. Secure the outside
- Lock every door and window, including upstairs windows, the garage, and any sheds.
- Store or tie down patio furniture, grills, umbrellas, kayaks, and anything else the wind can pick up and throw.
- Have a look at the trees. Limbs hanging over the roof, the driveway, or the power line are worth dealing with before storm season rather than after.
- If you keep a boat or have a dock, check the lines and fenders, or pull the boat for the winter.
- Don’t leave a spare key under the mat or a flowerpot. Give one to a person you trust instead.
7. Make it look lived in
An obviously empty house draws the wrong kind of attention. A few simple steps make a difference.
- Put a couple of lamps on timers, set to different schedules.
- Forward or hold your mail, and pause any deliveries or subscriptions.
- Hold off on posting your travel dates on social media until you are back.
- Let a neighbor you trust know how long you will be gone and how to reach you.
8. Take care of the paperwork
This step gets skipped the most, and it matters. Call your insurance agent before you leave. Many homeowner policies limit or exclude coverage when a home sits unoccupied past a certain number of days, and some expect the property to be checked on a regular schedule. Ask what your policy requires so there are no surprises if you ever need to file a claim.
- Take dated photos or a video of every room and the exterior before you go.
- Leave a list of contacts on the counter: your plumber, electrician, propane supplier, and a neighbor.
- Make sure someone on the island has a key, the alarm code, and permission to act if something goes wrong.
9. Have someone actually look
All of this preparation lowers your risk, but it does not replace a set of eyes on the property. A slow leak under a sink, a tripped breaker, a heat pump that quit, or a limb on the roof is a minor repair if it is caught within a week. Found in April, it is a very different story.
That is what home watch is for. We live on Anderson Island year-round, and we check on homes while their owners are away: inside, outside, and the utility systems, with a report after every visit so you know exactly what we saw. Anderson Island HomeWatch is licensed, bonded, and insured.
Heading south this winter? Book a consultation and we will put together a visit schedule that fits your home and how long you will be away. Then you can enjoy the sunshine without wondering about the water.