Question?
It's early September and I'm leaving my Big Bear cabin for the night, but plan to be back tomorrow. Do I have to winterize the cabin before I leave?
You don't have to winterize but I strongly recommend that any time you leave your Big Bear cabin after September 1st, even for a night that you do winterize it. So many times you get down the hill and something comes up and you aren't able to get back to Big Bear. Now, your cabin is sitting unprotected from the cold and it may be a month or longer before you are able to return. We've had two feet of snow as early as October 1st so you should always be prepared. This morning is a perfect example of how quickly things can change in Big Bear. When I went to bed last night, there was no mention of snow in the forecast. It was cold and windy but that was about it. When I woke up this morning, it was 12 degrees and we had a light dusting of snow on the ground.
Now, let's get back to your Big Bear cabin. It's now the middle of November and you still haven't made it back to the cabin and we are getting very cold temperatures at night. Based off of the weather change that we had last night, there is a very good possibility that when you do get back to your Big Bear cabin, you will have broken water pipes. If the pipes that break are under the house, it isn't to bad. But if the pipes in the walls break, you are going to return to your Big Bear cabin and find a flooded mess!
I tell all of my clients that if they are leaving the cabin over night anytime after September 1st, they should winterize the cabin and continue this practice until Mothers Day has past. If you follow this practice, then you will lesson the chances of having to deal with broken pipes and a flooded cabin upon your return.
If you own a cabin in Big Bear or are planning to purchase one and would like more information on winterizing, please email me
