Opening the Cottage Plumbing for the Season

To many, Victoria Day Weekend is seen as the unofficial start of cottage season. But why wait until the Long Weekend? Getting a head start on opening the cottage means you won’t have to spend the entire weekend prepping for the season. Perhaps one of the most involved parts of opening the cottage is getting your plumbing system back up and running.

While some cottages have pumps that are permanently submerged in the water source, some have a pump that sits under the cottage or in a pump house close to the water. Here are the general steps to follow for a typical land-based pump to get your cottages water system started:

• Inspect all of your water lines for any obvious damage. If you notice any damages, you will need to make repairs before you begin.
• Install a new water filter on the pump. This should be done every year at the beginning of the season to maintain the water quality.
• Connect a hand pump to the water pump priming valve. If you do not have a hand pump you will need to manually fill the lines.
• Now you can open the priming valve.
• Draw water from your water source into the line until it fills the line, up to and including the pump.
• Once full, close the priming valve.
• Open a cold water tap in your cottage. Just make sure the cold water valve leading into the hot water tank is closed for the time being.
• Switch on the water pump.
• Open all other valves that may be between the pump and the cottage. Doing this will help push out the remaining air in the lines.
• Once the water is running, inspect all water lines for leaks. If there are no leaks, close all taps. Then investigate the pump to make sure that the pressure holds and it is not constantly running when the taps are all closed. If the pump continues to lose pressure and run with the taps closed, there is a leak somewhere that needs to be found.
• Then once you are sure everything is good to go, you can get the hot water tank ready setup.

A good piece of advice - any time you leave the cottage empty it is always a good idea to turn off the power to both the water pump and the hot water tank. This is advisable because if there is any leakage, your water pump will continuously run in order to maintain pressure in the system. This can ultimately lead to major problems inside your cottage and you could return to find a real messy situation.

Are you looking to upgrade your water system at the cottage this year? Some things to consider for your home away from homee are:

• Water Filtration Systems - There are two main types of water filtrations systems - . physical filtration and chemical filtration. Physical filtration “strains” the water to remove dirt, silt, sand, and sediment from your water. Chemical filtration on the other hand involves passing water through an active material that removes impurities chemically as they pass through.

• UV Water Treatment Systems - These systems are primarily used for removing viruses and bacteria from water and, unlike chemical water disinfection methods, they do not add any harmful chemical to your water or the environment. Just remember, the UV lights need to be changed yearly!

• Water Softener Systems - Do you have hard water at the cottage? Using a water softener will help remove calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from your water. There are many different water softener systems available and some even have very low maintenance options.

Has your cottage water system become a sprinkler system? The team at Triple Tech is here to help you out! Give us a call today to book your service appointment for your home away from home now at 705-333-8324. Our staff and technicians are continuing to follow all COVID-19 protocols and best practices for our safety and yours.