How to Winterize Your Cottage

Closing up a cottage for the season is more than locking the door and heading home. A few missed steps in the fall can turn into a costly surprise by spring, especially with a Kawartha Lakes winter in between.

Start with the water system. Drain the pipes, water heater, and any outdoor taps, then add plumber’s antifreeze to toilets, sinks, and tub traps to protect against freezing. If your cottage draws water from the lake through a seasonal line, that line needs to be fully drained and disconnected too.

Turn your attention to the exterior next. Clean the eavestroughs so melting snow has somewhere to go, trim back branches that could come down under ice, and store or secure anything that could blow away or trap moisture against the building, like patio furniture and barbecue covers.

Inside, set the heat to a steady low temperature rather than shutting it off completely, particularly if there’s plumbing that wasn’t fully drained, or if you want to protect wood floors and furniture from extreme cold. Unplug appliances, empty the fridge, and prop the door open so it doesn’t grow mould over the winter.

Don’t overlook the small things: locking windows, removing valuables, and letting a trusted neighbour or property watch service know the cottage will be empty. A pipe that freezes in January is rarely discovered until March, so a mid-winter check, either in person or through a monitoring service, is worth arranging.

If you’re new to seasonal ownership, a proper winterizing checklist from a local contractor is a good investment the first year. Once you’ve done it once, it becomes a straightforward fall routine.

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