To turn the water back on at a shore house after winter, close every drain and tap the plumber opened, open the main valve a quarter at a time, bleed air from each faucet starting with the one nearest the main, then stand by for an hour and look for drips.
By the Shore House Pipes editors · sources checked October 31, 2026 · how this manual is written
Ask the person who closed it. On a winterized house the main is off, faucets were left open and the plumber usually tags or notes what they did. If nobody knows, open the main extra slowly and stand at it, ready to close it, while someone else checks the lowest pipes.
Dry pipes are full of air. Opening fast drives water at the first closed fitting and can knock an old joint or a plastic fitting loose. A slow open lets the air push out of the taps you opened first.
Pipes on raised shore houses often run through the open space under the floor, where wind and cold reach them. Look for wet sand, ice-split insulation and drips at the line where it rises from the ground. WW-4 covers how those runs are protected.
| Figure | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Read the meter twice, two hours apart, with no water used | a change suggests a leak somewhere after the meter | EPA WaterSense |
From the Cleveland Water YouTube channel. Cleveland, Ohio utility; general advice, not NJ-specific. The still picture is stored on this site; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. The video's advice is the channel's own; where it differs, this page's safety steps come first.
Each source was opened and the cited figure or sentence checked on October 31, 2026. Steps marked PRO are described, not taught: they belong to a licensed plumber or the utility.