Although the Outer Banks normally has relatively mild winters compared to our friends up North, we do have nights when the temperatures dip down to the low 30’s at night.
In the Residential Rental Contract (Lease) that the Landlord has with the Tenant, we require the Tenant to winterize and protect the outside plumbing such as Outside Showers, Foot Washes and outside hose spigots. If your home has an Outside Shower there will be cut off valves typically in the Utility Room or in older homes we find they are placed in a “box” near the Outside Shower. These valves need to shut off and the
Outside Shower knobs turned on in order to drain all water from both the hot and coldwater. Sometimes there is a little drain valve called a petcock valve that you must open. It will be located at the lowest part of the Outside Shower assembly. If there is a hose bib connected to your Outside Shower this valve will also need to be opened to be sure all water is drained from the Outside Shower.
The same procedure would be used for winterizing a foot bath or foot wash. Tenant’s must follow these steps and winterize these outside water features according to the Lease. If they do not, they would be liable for the plumbing repair to fix and/or to replace these items if they rupture in freezing weather.
If you have outside hose connection (hose bib) you MUST disconnect the hose and DO NOT leave it connected to the water connection during freezing weather. This can cause this water line to rupture and if it does, the Tenant would be responsible for the cost of fixing it. We also urge Tenants if they go out of town over the holidays to leave their cabinet doors open so that the heat may circulate to the pipes to help keep them from freezing.
Please keep your heat thermostat set at least at 60 degrees. If you will be out of time for an extended period of time, another option would be to cut the water off both at the cut off valve near the home as well as at the street. This way if the power goes out or a pipe freezes and bursts no water will be running inside the home.
If you are one of OBX Housing’s Tenants and need help with winterizing these items your rental home, please give our office a call.