Seasonal Home Water Treatment: Opening and Closing

The first day of the season. The shutters are opened, the cases are carried in and the tap in the kitchen is turned. The water that comes is cloudy, the smell is unpleasant, and the first thought is always the same: the unit has broken down. Yet in most cases there is nothing wrong with the unit — the system has stood still for months. Seasonal home water treatment comes down to exactly that distinction: the problem is not in the equipment but in seasonal use itself.

In this guide we take up the opening and closing procedure in buildings used seasonally. We explain step by step which steps are applied in which order at the start of the season, how the filters are affected by the standing time, what should be done against the risk of freezing at the end of the season, and the headings particular to coastal areas.

What Changes in a System Left Unused for a Long Time?

In plumbing unused for months the water stands still. Water standing in the lines, in the filter bodies and in the vessels can change its character; build-up can form in the stages and in the tanks. So at the start of the season the system has to be run off, the stages checked and, where needed, renewed.

In a house lived in continuously the water never stops; the line is refreshed at every opening. In a seasonal building exactly the reverse holds: the water stands for months inside the same body.

That standing affects more than one point. The water in the plumbing line, the water in the filter bodies, the water in the tank if there is one and the water in the reservoir — all stay motionless at the same time.

The result shows up on the user’s side in a typical picture: cloudiness at the first opening, a stale smell and a marked change in taste. Those are not the sign of a fault but the result of standing. In a seasonal home water treatment system the opening of the season should therefore be tied to a procedure.

Preserving the water quality inside a building after a long closure is a subject taken up in international sources too. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s fact sheet on water quality in buildings after extended closuresoffers a general framework on flushing the lines before reopening. That source does not take the place of Turkish regulations; local assessment is made by the relevant regulations and the competent bodies.

The Water Source in Summer Homes Is Generally Different

In seasonal homes the structure of the source differs from use in the city. Mains, well or use with a tank can be present together. In coastal areas the hardness and dissolved solids profile can differ; and that directly affects the treatment build.

That difference also settles the scope of the opening procedure. Opening a simple installation on the mains and opening a tank-fed system supplied from a well do not involve the same steps.

The typical source structures met in summer home areas are these:

How mains and well sources differ, where the responsibility lies and how the approaches to treatment separate we source comparison article took up; we do not go deeper into the subject here.

The practical result is this: when a seasonal home water treatment build is planned, what the source is should be made clear from the start. A build suited to your home in the city may not give the same result if the source at the summer house is different.

The Steps for Bringing the System Into Service at the Start of the Season

Bringing it into service goes in a certain order: checking the valves and the power, running the lines off, checking the state of the stages, checking the tank and the reservoir, looking over the UV unit if there is one, checking for leaks, and not using the first water. When that order is followed, most start-of-season problems disappear.

This section is the backbone of the guide. Applying the steps without skipping any prevents the greater part of the problems that would be met through the season.

1. Checking the Valves and the Power

   The valves closed at the end of the season are opened and the electrical connection of the unit is checked. On systems with a pump the state of the socket and the cable is examined by eye.

2. Flush the Lines

   Before it reaches the treatment unit the main plumbing line is run off for a while. That step takes the standing water waiting in the pipes away from the system and forms the basis of all the steps that follow.

3. Check the State of the Stages

   The filter bodies are opened and the state of the stages examined. On models with a clear body, darkening and a change of colour can be seen by eye. If the standing time has been long, renewal is assessed.

4. Empty the Tank and the Reservoir

   In a system with storage the water in the tank is used up entirely and drained, and the system is let fill with fresh water. If there is a water reservoir, the state of the lid and the contents is checked separately.

5. Look Over the UV Unit

   If the system has a UV (ultraviolet) treatment stage, whether the lamp is working and the state of the quartz sleeve are checked; on models with a counter the indicator is assessed.

6. Check for Leaks

   Once water is turned on, all the connection points are examined by eye. After a long standing the seals may have tired; the area under the cabinet is checked for wetness.

7. Do Not Use the First Water

   Once the system has refilled, the first water produced is not used but drained. How many fills to make changes with the unit; the guidance in the user manual is taken as the basis.

8. Call a Service Engineer if Needed

   If an odour, taste or flow problem continues although the steps have been completed, technical service support should be taken for checking the vessel and the internal line.

The situation described in the eighth step is the scenario met most often at the start of the season. If the problem continues although the steps have been applied, a different path is followed to tell the source apart; the order of diagnosis for odour and taste we set out in our odour and taste guide in our guide.

That procedure is not a list to be applied once and forgotten. When it is repeated in the same order at the start of every season, the seasonal home water treatment system is brought into service predictably.

Figure 1: The steps for bringing the system into service at the start of the season

Do Filters Tire Even Without Being Used?

Yes. The state of the stages is settled not only by the water passing through them; the moisture left inside the body and the conditions of standing have an effect too. After a long closure, renewal is most often the right decision even though the stages have not been used. The assessment is made on the standing time and the conditions.

That is the heading that surprises seasonal users most. The thought "I never used it in winter, my filter counts as new" is common; but technically it is not quite right.

The reason is this: a filter body is a closed volume and moisture stays inside it. That environment, standing motionless for months, can affect the state of the stage. And before the closure the stages had already seen a certain amount of use.

The headings to assess when deciding are these:

The practical approach is this: renewing the stages at the opening of the season is the simplest step preventing the odour and taste problems that would be met through the season. When the time to renew comes, a staged filter set suited to the stage layout.

suited to the structure of the unit is filter change guide The signs of replacement and what settles the period we took up. And in a seasonal home water treatment build the season cycle can be taken as the basis instead of the calendar: a check at every opening, a renewal where needed.

Water Standing in the Reservoir and the Tank

In seasonal buildings the reservoir and the tank are the points where standing is heaviest. The water stays motionless for months, sediment settles and the character can change. At the opening of the season those volumes have to be emptied and the lid and the ventilation checked.

That is the most critical step of the opening procedure in buildings with a reservoir. Even if the lines are run off, if the water standing in the reservoir is still feeding the system the problem continues.

The points to check are these:

• The seal of the lid: Whether the lid closes fully and whether it is open to outside influences is checked.
• Ventilation: The state of the ventilation component is looked over.
• Sediment build-up: Whether there is a visible build-up at the bottom of the reservoir is looked at.
• Draining: The standing water is discharged and it is filled with fresh water.
• Tank pressure: In a treatment system with storage the state of the tank is assessed by a service.

Why the character of water standing in a tank changes and what measures should be taken we tank water quality we took up in detail in our content; we do not go deeper into the subject here.

Cleaning the reservoir is a separate operation and can be planned as a routine part of the opening of the season. If there is a pre-filtration stage at the building inlet, that stage reduces the sediment load on the reservoir and the plumbing; the inlet filter systems take on that job.

The Opening of the Season on Systems With a UV Unit

If the system has a UV (ultraviolet) treatment stage, three headings are checked at the opening: whether the lamp is working, the transparency of the quartz sleeve, and on models with a counter the state of the indicator. If the lamp has completed its working life it should be renewed before the system is started.

That stage is often used in summer homes on well water working with a tank. And in seasonal use a particular situation arises: the lamp may have completed its period of use even though the unit was not running.

The basic rule to know here is this: the lamp being alight does not show that it is working at the expected performance. Ultraviolet lamps lose their effective light intensity as the hours of use go on and give no sign of it from outside.

The quartz sleeve is a separate heading too. After a long standing a build-up may have formed on the sleeve surface; in that case the light cannot reach the water even if the lamp is new. At the opening the transparency of the sleeve must be checked.

How the time to replace is settled, the safety rules and the flow of the operation we took up in detail in our UV lamp replacement guide . When renewal is needed, a ultraviolet lamp compatible with the unit model should be preferred.

Figure 2: Closing at the end of the season and measures against the risk of freezing

Closing at the End of the Season: The Risk of Freezing

When water standing in an unheated space freezes it expands in volume and can lead to cracking in a body, a hose or a tank. So at the end of the season the water is shut off, the water inside the system is drained and the unit is left protected against frost. That is the most critical step of the closing.

An important part of the problems at the opening of the season in fact comes from a step skipped at the closing. And freezing damage can produce a result there is no going back from.

The steps to follow at the closing are these:

The fifth item in the right-hand column can be applied on portable builds. On a permanently installed system taking the unit out of place may not be possible; in that case the space it is in has to be protected from frost or the water in the system drained entirely.

If you are not sure about the closing operation, it is right to take technical service support at the end of the season. That prevents from the start the damage to parts that could be met at the opening.

Freezing damage has another side too: damage caused by misuse is not covered by the warranty. So the closing procedure is an operation that protects both the system and the budget.

Extra Subjects in Coastal Areas

In coastal areas the damp and the salt air put an extra load on metal parts. And in buildings using a well the seasonal variability can be more marked, while the hardness profile differs from area to area. Those headings should be included in the build and the maintenance plan.

Coastal summer homes differ at several points from seasonal buildings inland. Those differences affect both the choice of equipment and the frequency of maintenance.

The fifth card explains why planning the capacity has to be handled differently. In a summer home the use is near zero for most of the year, while for a few weeks it can go above the consumption in the city. The system should be assessed against that peak period.

And in summer homes using a well, following the analysis is more important. Because the profile of the source can change with the season, repeating the analysis at the opening can be assessed.

Those conditions show why a seasonal home water treatment build is planned separately from use in the city. The same unit, in a different pattern of use, calls for a different discipline of maintenance.

Responsibility in Summer Homes That Are Let

In buildings let seasonally the intensity of use cannot be foreseen and the maintenance easily ends up belonging to no one. So a person responsible should be named, a check planned mid-season and the operations carried out put on record. That arrangement removes the uncertainty for the owner and the tenant alike.

In summer homes that are let the problem is not technical but organisational. Even where the system has been built correctly, when the question of who checks what and when is not defined the maintenance slips.

The headings to make clear are these:

• The person responsible: Will the owner, the estate management or a member of staff follow it?
• The opening of the season: By whom and when will the bringing into service be done?
• A mid-season check: Should an interim check be planned in the busy period?
• The record: Where will the filter change dates and the service operations be kept?
• The closing of the season: Who will apply the closing procedure?
• Informing: Will the tenant be told about using the system?

The third item is especially important. In a summer home that is let the intensity of use can be higher than expected; the stages can use up their capacity mid-season. An interim check in the busy period prevents problems through the season.

And in commercial businesses such as guest houses and holiday villages that arrangement should be tied to a service plan. Which components of a unit are handled how often we took up in our content on the life of a unit and its maintenance .

A Seasonal Maintenance Plan

In seasonal use the maintenance is managed not by the calendar but by the cycle: the opening check, a mid-season observation and the closing procedure. When those three stages are put in writing they are applied with the same discipline every year and the system works predictably.

The list below is a set of checks usable on a single page for both the opening and the closing:

The value of that list is in its simplicity. Hung at the entrance of the summer house or inside the cabinet the unit is in, the same steps are applied every season and the risk of forgetting disappears.

Keeping records matters too. When it is not known when the filters were last renewed the decision rests on guesswork; when the date is recorded, the intervention comes at the right time.

Water Point Su Arıtma Teknolojileri operates from Esenyurt, İstanbul under its founder Ali Genç, with more than 20 years of experience in the sector.

Frequently Asked Questions