The Quick List: Your Winterizing Cheat Sheet
We know life is busy, especially when you’re closing up a property for the season. For those in a hurry, here are the absolute non-negotiables for winterizing your Martha’s Vineyard home:
- Shut Off All Water: Turn off the main water supply and drain every pipe, faucet (interior and exterior), and appliance (icemaker, washer, dishwasher).
- Service Your HVAC: Have your heating system professionally serviced and set the thermostat to a “maintenance” temperature (around 50-55°F) to prevent mold and freezing.
- Secure the Exterior: Store or tie down all outdoor furniture, umbrellas, and grills. Clean gutters and inspect the roof for any loose shingles.
- Unplug & Protect: Unplug all non-essential electronics and appliances to protect from power surges.
- Call a Professional: The best way to ensure peace of mind is to have a professional property manager like Estate Care perform a thorough check and manage your property through the off-season.
Martha’s Vineyard in the off-season is a place of unique, rugged beauty. The crowds fade, the pace slows, and the island settles in for a long winter’s nap. But that beauty comes with a bite. Nor’easters, freezing temperatures, salt-laden gales, and heavy, wet snow can pose a serious threat to an unoccupied home.
For seasonal residents, properly winterizing your property isn’t just a good idea—it’s an essential task to protect your investment from catastrophic damage. A frozen pipe that bursts can lead to tens of thousands of dollars in water damage, mold, and structural repairs.
As Martha’s Vineyard’s trusted property caretakers, we have seen it all. We’ve developed this comprehensive guide to help you prepare your island home for the harsh realities of a coastal winter.
1. The #1 Priority: Preventing Water Damage
If you remember only one thing from this article, let it be this: water is your enemy. Freezing and expanding water is the single most common and costly source of winter damage.
- Shut Off the Main Supply: Locate your home’s main water shut-off valve and close it completely.
- Drain Every Line: Once the main is off, open every single faucet in the house (both hot and cold), starting from the top floor and working your way down to the lowest point (like a basement sink or outdoor shower). This lets gravity pull all remaining water out.
- Don’t Forget These:
- Exterior Spigots: Disconnect all hoses and drain the spigots.
- Irrigation Systems: Have your sprinkler system professionally blown out with compressed air.
- Appliances: Drain the water lines to your refrigerator’s icemaker, washing machine, and dishwasher.
- Toilets: Flush all toilets to empty the tank, then use a sponge to sop up any remaining water in the bowl.
- Consider Antifreeze: For ultimate protection, you can pour a small amount of non-toxic RV antifreeze into toilet bowls and sink drains to prevent any trapped water from freezing in the P-traps.
2. Batten Down the Hatches: Exterior & Storm Prep
A Martha’s Vineyard Nor’easter can bring hurricane-force winds. Your home’s exterior is its first line of defense.
- Secure All Outdoor Items: This is non-negotiable. Patio furniture, umbrellas, grills, planters, and even heavy benches can become dangerous projectiles. Store them in a shed or garage. If you can’t, tie them down securely or group them together in a sheltered area.
- Inspect Roof and Siding: Walk the perimeter of your home. Look for any loose shingles, damaged flashing, or pieces of siding that could be ripped off by high winds. A small breach can let in a massive amount of wind-driven rain or snow.
- Clean Your Gutters: Gutters clogged with fall leaves will overflow. This water can freeze, creating destructive ice dams that push water up under your shingles, leading to roof and attic leaks.
- Trim Trees: Inspect large trees near your home. Are there dead or damaged branches that could snap under the weight of ice or snow and fall on your roof? Have them professionally pruned.
3. Clean & Protect: The Importance of a Fall Clean-Up
It’s tempting to just lock the door and leave, but a thorough fall cleaning is crucial for preventing other types of damage, especially from salt and pests.
- Interior Cleaning: Remove all food from the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. A power outage can turn a stocked freezer into a nightmare. Wipe down all surfaces to prevent attracting pests.
- Exterior Washing: The salt air on Martha’s Vineyard is relentless. Over a winter, it can corrode metal fixtures, fade paint, and eat away at wooden decks. We highly recommend a thorough exterior cleaning to wash away this corrosive salt, as well as any mold or mildew that has built up.
As part of our comprehensive caretaking services, Estate Care offers pressure washing to clean siding, decks, and patios, removing harmful salt and mildew before they set in for the winter. However, for properties that require a specialized, deep-clean focus, we honestly recommend the team at Vineyard Power Washing. As true specialists in exterior cleaning, Vineyard Power Washing has the dedicated equipment and expertise to handle extensive projects, from delicate soft washing on cedar shingles to tough patio and stone restorations. Getting your home’s exterior properly cleaned is a key preventative step.
4. Keeping it Warm, Dry & Secure: Interior Systems
Your home’s internal systems are your last line of defense.
- HVAC Servicing: Have your heating system professionally serviced before you leave. A failed furnace in January is a disaster.
- Set the Thermostat: Never turn your heat completely off. Set your thermostats to a maintenance temperature, typically between 50°F and 55°F. This isn’t just to protect pipes (which should be drained anyway); it’s to prevent the extreme cold that allows mold and mildew to flourish in damp, coastal air.
- Pest Control: Mice, squirrels, and other pests are desperate for warm shelter. Walk the exterior and seal any crack or hole you find—around utility lines, in the foundation, or under the eaves.
- Unplug Electronics: Unplug televisions, computers, coffee makers, and other non-essential appliances. This protects them from power surges common during winter storms and removes any “phantom” energy draw.
- Security Check: Ensure all windows and doors are securely locked. If you have storm shutters, install them on the most vulnerable windows. Finally, make sure your security system is armed and that your property manager has the code.
Peace of Mind with Estate Care
Winterizing a Martha’s Vineyard property is a significant undertaking. Missing a single step can lead to a heartbreaking and expensive discovery come spring.
This is where Estate Care provides true peace of mind. Our team of professionals offers comprehensive winterization services, from draining every pipe to securing every last piece of furniture. More importantly, we offer winter watch services, where we physically check your property after major storms and on a regular schedule, ensuring that your home remains secure and undamaged all winter long.
Don’t leave your island investment to chance. Contact Estate Care today, and let us handle the checklist so you can rest easy, no matter what the winter brings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What temperature should I set my thermostat to when I leave for the winter? We recommend setting your thermostat no lower than 50°F (10°C) and ideally around 55°F. This prevents the interior from reaching temperatures where condensation and mold can form, and provides a buffer against extreme cold snaps.
Q2: Is it really necessary to shut off the water if I leave the heat on? Yes. One hundred percent. You cannot rely on your heating system alone. A severe Nor’easter can cause a power outage that lasts for days, or your furnace could fail. If that happens and your pipes aren’t drained, they will freeze and burst. Draining the water is the only guaranteed protection.
Q3: What’s the biggest mistake homeowners make when winterizing? The biggest mistake is assuming they’ve done “enough.” Often, this means forgetting to drain a specific line, like an outdoor shower, an icemaker, or a guest bathroom toilet that’s rarely used. The other major mistake is leaving outdoor furniture unsecured, which becomes a liability to your home and your neighbors’ property.
Q4: What about my landscaping and shrubs? Valuable or delicate shrubs, especially those prone to heavy snow or salt spray, can be protected. We recommend wrapping them in burlap or building a small A-frame structure over them to prevent snow from breaking their branches.
Q5: Can Estate Care manage this entire process for me? Absolutely. This is at the core of what we do. Estate Care offers a complete winterization and shut-down service. We manage the entire checklist, coordinate any necessary specialists (like HVAC or irrigation), and then provide regular property checks throughout the winter for your complete peace of mind.
