The next trip to the cottage, the leaves will be a glory of colour.As you motor along in moderately heavy traffic, in place of the usual eager anticipation there will be a developing sense of dread at the approaching chore. It’s time to ‘close the cottage’ for the season once again.

You ask yourself; Did I remember to pack the Anti-Freeze for the drain? I’m sure I forgot the mousetraps, I wonder if I can get them in town? Over the years, you have surely learnt a trick or two about preventative measures, but in case you haven’t, I’ll help relieve your’ stress a little.

Here’s a checklist of To-Do’s before the winters frost sets in.

Fall closing checklist:

  • Close and lock all windows.
  • Remove all perishable foods from Fridge, Freezer, or shelves.
  • Remove all cans and jars of food that may split when frozen.
  • Turn off main electrical breaker.
  • Drain and winterize plumbing system.
  • Close the flue in all fireplaces/stoves.
  • Set mousetraps.
  • Put mothballs into the bedding closets.
  • Re-direct mail and phones.
  • Visually inspect roof for loose or damaged roofing.
  • Visually inspect gutters/roof drainage.
  • Check for, and trim tree limbs growing over the roof.
  • Check out trees in area for rotten or damaged limbs.
  • Check exterior walls and foundations for cracks, holes, or structural damage.
  • Empty composter.
  • Tarp over the woodpile.
  • Pull the dock out of the water.
  • Put canoes and small boats into winter storage.
  • Hang up PFD’s and water toys for storage.
  • Re-enforce sheds/porches for snowdrifts.
  • Clean out garbage bins.

Close and lock all windows.

You will want to prevent critters from getting in, whether the four, six, or even two legged critters. Installing simple locks is a good idea. I’ve heard it commonly said that a lock won’t keep the thieves out, but at least the less determined thieves will go and try somewhere else. It’s also true that the booze cabinet is always the first target, so definitely keep any alcohol out of sight.

Remove all perishable foods from Fridge, Freezer, or shelves.

Apparently, some people think that the refrigerator will work just fine with no power, and that butter and dairy will do just fine over the winter. I promise you that is simply NOT the case. We had some guests kindly leave us a full fridge of produce, (I think) in the fall. We opened the cottage late the next year, and boy did we have a surprise! We had to trash the fridge, and we spent the long weekend sleeping on the balcony due to the stink.

Remove all cans and jars of food that may split when frozen.

This is a no brainer, but it’s easy to miss something. Don’t store paint, cleaning chemicals, etc at the cottage. Basically, if it is sealed, and it is freezable, then remove it.

Turn off main electrical breaker.

Every cottage is different, so use your’ common sense here. You want the power turned off in case critters chew the wires, or some disaster strikes while you’re away. Turn off, or unplug all appliances first, especially anything that will draw a big load when you turn back on in the spring. If there’s anything that will need to run over the winter, then you’ll probably want to have a circuit put in, separate from the main cut off switch.

We used to have a well-insulated pump room in our cottage in Bala, Ontario. We had a separate circuit for the pump room light, and we ran a 60W incandescent light bulb in there all winter. This heated up the room nicely, and kept the water system up to snuff. There was a cut off switch for the whole cottage, which made our fall shutdown nice and easy. Both the water and electricity were looked after with minimal fuss and bother. You have to be careful if the power goes out though. You could have a water disaster if the light goes out!

Drain and winterize plumbing system.

Almost everyone gets a major plumbing bill ONCE from not adequately winterizing his or her water system. The trick is to get all the water out of the system, and protect your’ pipes from any leftover water. Turn off the pump and water heater before starting. Open the main drain valve, which is probably located somewhere under the cottage, hopefully at the lowest point in your pipe system. Drain both the hot water tank, and the cold water pressure tank. Make sure that the pump is drained, and remove the priming plug so it stays that way. Open every tap in the cottage so that the water can drain out of every pipe. Flush the toilets until reservoir is empty, and the bowl is mostly empty. Put two cups of plumbers’ anti-freeze into the bowl, and one into the tank. Put one cup into every drain in the house, and two cups into shower/tub drains. MAKE SURE you use propylene glycol, preferably pure concentration. It is non-toxic, and safe for potable water systems. You can use ‘RV antifreeze’ but that is usually 30% glycol, and may freeze a little more readily than a pure solution. If your’ cottage goes below minus 40, then go the extra yard, and blow out the water pipes by attaching an air compressor/pump to your’ pipes, and blowing out the excess water. Remember the ounce of prevention?

Close the flue in all fireplaces/stoves.

Raccoons, and other critters, can, and will find their way down your chimney if you don’t close the flue. I don’t know if it’s standard, but I’ve seen two different types of flue controls in my life. Generally speaking, you have to look up the fireplace chimney, and you will see a little steel trapdoor in the chimney passage. It normally has a ring set in it, which you can pull with your fire poker. Pull it firmly into the closed position. If there’s too much soot to close it, then you need to have your’ chimney cleaned. I once had a fireplace where the flue was controlled by a cast iron knob sticking out of the side of the chimney, about 6 ft. above the ground. The only problem with that was that it wasn’t marked ‘open’ or ‘closed’. One year, two different people ‘closed the flue’. Obviously, the first person closed it, while the second person re-opened it. In the spring we had obviously had a visitor through the chimney, as the top floor was covered with sooty tracks.

Set mousetraps.

Field mice can and will get in. Don’t ask me how, but they will enter a hermetically sealed house, I think by osmosis 

They will tend to chew stuff, and make a mess. Chewed wires could result in a bigger mess than usual! I suggest using traps instead of poison. They are cheap and simple. Put a couple of traps in each room, and concentrate on known routes of entry.

Put mothballs into the bedding closets.

This is self-explanatory. Moths are a bummer. Cottage bedding is normally not your’ top of the line brand new, but that doesn’t mean you don’t mind gaping holes in it come the spring.

Re-direct mail and phones.

I’ve never had a phone or mail delivery at the cottage, but for those that do….

Visually inspect roof for loose or damaged roofing.

Did you know that ‘a stitch in time saves nine’? The wind never sleeps, and any loose roofing now, can turn into a real problem by spring. Repeated freeze and melt will further loosen roofing over the winter, and the wind will tirelessly tug at any loose corners. If you see any loose roof tiles, break out the ladder, and fix it now! You may want to have a professional have a look if you see any damage, and you’re not comfortable with your’ own judgment.

Visually inspect gutters/roof drainage.

You’re looking for any spots where water can accumulate, or where ice can form which blocks the normal roof drainage. Blocked downspouts, or too many leaves in the eaves trough are common causes of ice buildup. Ice dams can be bad news. They have a way of getting bigger, and heavier over the course of the winter. You can get a major flood through the roof if you don’t take care, and even structural damage can result.

Check for, and trim tree limbs growing over the roof.

What do I have to do that for? Two reasons, snow overburdening, and the dreaded Raccoon Bridge. If there are dead, or damaged limbs over the roof, then they could be ‘persuaded’ to collapse from the weight of snow, leaving you with a pleasant surprise for Victoria Day weekend. (May 24, traditional Canadian Cottage opening date for those Americans reading this.) The second reason is that Raccoons will go anywhere it is possible for them to go. My oldest brother had a mother Raccoon climb his roof via and overhanging branch. Once up there, she worked and worked on the roof, until she opened a gap, just under the eaves, and in she goes. Sure, the babies were really cute, but the damage was appalling. This is not a good thing at your’ summer Cottage, and could be avoided by trimming branches so there is no way to get up there.

Check out trees in area for rotten or damaged limbs.

It isn’t that hard to maintain your trees, especially as you will probably need deadfall, and dried wood for your’ own fireplace. If you cut away deadwood, then you are exercising the option, rather than waiting for nature to make the decision for you, probably just when you parked the car under the offending tree. Just remember that chainsaws are dangerous. I mean it. If you haven’t spent time with one before, then consider using a bow saw when you’re up on a ladder. If you don’t believe me, then try spending an autumn Saturday morning in the emergency room at the Cottage Country hospital. Legs, and feet get chopped when they’re below your’ cut, head and upper torso get it when the saw kicks back, and you’re not positioned to one side. If you’re physically exhausted STOP work.

Check exterior walls and foundations for cracks, holes, or structural damage.

There can be no general rule for this, as every building material and design has it’s own considerations. Suffice it to say that keeping tabs on the gradual deterioration will allow you to plan ahead for major work. In addition, if something went wrong over the summer, this is the last chance to take note, and plan ‘the fix’.

Empty composter.

If you don’t have a composter, then you should. Most Northern soils are pretty sorry, nutritionally. Pine and spruce needles don’t make for a good growing medium. Whether you only want to fill window boxes with flowers, or you want an herb or vegetable garden. Composted soil doesn’t need to be transported from the Garden center to the Cottage, then lugged from the car to it’s new home. It also saves you from extra trips to the dump. If Bears could be a problem, then be cognizant of it, and keep the composter off the porch.

Tarp over the woodpile.

Wet wood will rot, and will not burn well in the spring. If you don’t have a woodshed, or covered storage, then you will want to put a cheap tarp over it. Rope the tarp in place, and weight it down as well. Make sure that air can still circulate around the woodpile, and that groundwater will not be flowing into the pile. If you trap moisture in there, there will be an awful lot of fungus come the spring. Don’t spend a bunch of money on a tarp. Most of the costs for artificial tarp fabrics is for UV stabilizers. Winter UV exposure is minimal, and it will be wear and tear that ultimately destroys the fabric. Don’t pay a premium for UV stability when it’s irrelevant. (I have been in the Industrial fabrics business for many years).

Pull the dock out of the water.

If the dock is fixed, then this doesn’t apply. If it isn’t you will need to protect the dock, and its moorings by taking the dock out of the water. Talk to neighbours, and/or locals to find out if the ice packs along the shoreline. In extreme conditions, where the shore is exposed, and the prevailing winds are ‘wrong’, you can get a major buildup of shards, and packed ice. This can make matchwood of your’ dock, and generally play havoc with your shoreline. You should bear this in mind as a primary concern if you plan on making any ‘improvements’ to the shoreline. I have seen 10 ft. buildups of mini-icebergs on Georgian Bay, and Lake Huron, while the Bala Cottage was so sheltered that we didn’t need to pull the dock in. If you leave it in the water, on your’ head be it.

Put canoes and small boats into winter storage.

I always prefer to have the canoe well above ground level, upside down on racks. Suspending it from a ceiling somewhere, (Ideally under the cottage) is the best bet. Make sure that water will not flow into/onto it. Aluminium boats are idiot proof. Fiberglass is a different story. Fiberglass resins are of various qualities, and a cheap boat probably has much less UV stabilizers than is ideal. When fiberglass is exposed to sunlight, it will suffer from ‘blooming’, which is when the smooth and shiny finish starts turning to powder, and leaves the actual glass fibers exposed. Once you start seeing glass fibers coming loose, then it’s pretty well had the biscuit. If you have wood watercraft, like a cedar strip canoe, then you probably have some work to do. They are beautiful watercraft, but will need more care and maintenance than can be described here. Make sure any fabric elements, such as convertible roofs, cushions, etc. are dry, and carefully folded before you put them away. Even artificial fabrics with mildew inhibitors will eventually stain if they’re stored wet.

Hang up PFD’s and water toys for storage.

Pretty well all PFD’s, and water toys are made from PVC, or artificial fibres nowadays. They don’t require the kind of care that old canvas lifejackets needed, but they aren’t indestructible. The basic rules are; Keep away from the sun, and moisture. The best, and easiest way to do this is to hang them all up somewhere dry, and out of the sun. I suggest hanging them up under the cottage, or if you have a boathouse of sorts, hang them up inside.

Re-enforce sheds/porches for snowdrifts.

Many, if not most cottages have some kind of structures that were ‘homebuilt’. Lean-to’s, woodsheds, garbage bins, stairwells etc. sometimes look great, but unless you’re familiar with snow loads, and snowdrift formation, your’ ‘homebuilt’ could suffer. The Ontario, or National building codes in Canada have a lot of info on these topics, for obvious reasons. The most common causes of collapses are related to the main buildings roof. If the roof is 45 degrees or greater, almost all the winters snow will end up on the ground under the eaves before it melts. If you build a shed or a lean-to next to the cottage, then it had better be built to take 300% of the normal snow loads for your’ district.

On top of the snow shed from the roof, snowdrifts will always form in the protected lee of a building, hill, bush, tree etc. For example, if the prevailing wind is off the lake, and your cottage is exposed on the front, while surrounded by trees from the other three sides, then you will have a truly spectacular snowdrift behind the cottage. The wind will sweep the snow from the ice, and dump it in the first calm spot it gets to, behind your cottage. You can protect a shed, or outbuilding by putting in temporary uprights to support the roof. For example, putting three two by fours upright in the center of a garage, seated against the ridge pole at the top, and bedded on a length of two by eight, will probably triple the snow bearing capacity of the roof. The longer an unsupported structural span is, the more benefit will be derived from an upright post in the middle. If there are roof trusses, then try to have your’ column directly below the ‘webs’ of the truss, so the support will be channeled to the actual roof structure.

Clean out garbage bins.

The Bears and other critters can get mighty hungry over the winter. If you leave yummy smelling garbage juice in the bottom of your’ bin, don’t be surprised if it’s broken open in the spring. You will also have a lovely insect habitat when the spring warmth arrives.