How do I winterize an outdoor kitchen in Virginia?

Winterizing an outdoor kitchen is mostly about water. Anything that holds water, from the ice maker to the sink trap to the supply line, can freeze and split, and the damage often does not show until spring. The refrigerator, the grill and the surfaces need attention too, and the right timing depends on how cold your part of Virginia gets.

Refrigerators and ice makers

Outdoor refrigerators have a temperature floor. Lynx, for example, says to winterize its outdoor units when the daily low ambient temperature is at or below 38°F,^[1] and warns that running the unit below that temperature voids the warranty.^[1] In its manual the unit is turned off, emptied, unplugged and cleaned, with the door left open until the inside is completely dry,^[1] and the power to the outlet can be turned off for the season if nothing else needs that circuit.^[1] The same maker says not to cover the refrigerator, because a cover can trap condensation.^[1] Your own model's manual gives its temperature and procedure.

Ice makers are harder, because they are plumbed. Lynx says its ice machine must have all water drained and removed^[2] before freezing weather, both to protect the machine and to prevent water damage to the surrounding area in freezing conditions.^[2] Its manual is explicit: "Do not use any type of anti-freeze or other solution as a substitution for properly draining the ice machine".^[2] Draining involves the water valve and supply connections, so if you are not comfortable with your manual's procedure, it is a job for the appliance servicer or a plumber.

Water lines and the sink

A sink, a pot filler or a hose bib in the island is plumbing exposed to the weather. Fairfax County's fire department advises owners to shut off water to outdoor faucets and drain the pipes^[6] before winter, and warns that freezing water makes a pipe swell and burst: "In most cases, the actual break doesn't appear until the water begins to thaw".^[6]

How an outdoor kitchen's lines drain depends entirely on how they were built. Many are built with a shut-off inside the heated house and a way to empty the line and the trap below the sink; some are not. If yours is not, or you do not know where the shut-off is, have a plumber winterize it the first year and show you how the system works. Lines that cannot be drained may need to be re-plumbed. How to keep pipes from freezing in winter covers the house side.

The grill and its gas supply

A grill that will sit for months is best put away clean. Lynx's winterizing notes cover cleaning food residue, grease and oil out of the cooking area below the burners and checking the burner ports for blockage,^[4] and looking for cracked or frayed hoses and checking electrical connections and cords for cracks or fraying.^[4] Damaged parts are for the maker's servicer to replace before spring.

Propane cylinders need their own care. The Lynx manual says: "Never store additional or empty propane cylinders in the grill cabinet".^[3] It adds: "Do not store propane cylinders indoors or on their sides".^[3] A disconnected cylinder belongs outdoors, upright, in a ventilated spot. A hard-piped grill can simply be turned off at its shut-off valve if you will not use it; anything beyond that, such as capping, moving or extending the gas line, is licensed work.

Surfaces and covers

Covers help, but only on a dry grill. Lynx's stainless care note says do not cover a damp grill,^[5] and for seasonal storage to make sure the grill is dry, then cover it and secure the cover^[5] so damp air stays out.

Two things damage stainless steel more than cold does. The same note warns that chlorine in the air from swimming pools or the salt from sea air may cause surface rust,^[5] which matters for kitchens near a pool or on the coast, and that solutions used for cleaning concrete and masonry can be very corrosive and will attack stainless steel.^[5] Protect the appliances before anyone cleans the patio or the stone island.

Spring start-up

Restarting is where winter problems show. Lynx says to allow 24 hours for the unit to stabilize before loading it^[1] when a refrigerator comes back into service. Grills need a look inside before the first fire, because "Spiders and insects often nest in these areas of the grill".^[3] Lynx's pre-use checklist includes confirming that "A qualified plumber has performed a leak test on all the fittings that supply fuel to your grill",^[3] which is worth doing after any winter in which the gas was off or the lines were disturbed. If a burner will not light in spring, see why an outdoor kitchen grill burner will not light.

When to call a licensed pro

Call a plumber to drain supply lines and traps that were not designed to drain easily, or to re-plumb them so they can be. Call the appliance maker's servicer for ice makers and refrigerators whose manuals call for disconnecting water or opening panels. Call a licensed gas fitter or plumber for any gas line work, a gas smell, or a leak test, and a licensed electrician for any tripping or damaged outdoor circuit.

These are regulated trades in Virginia. DPOR's Tradesmen Program covers electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas fitting, and notes that state certification of these trades is mandatory, not optional.^[7] The Code of Virginia describes a liquefied petroleum gas fitter's work as the installation, repair, improvement, alterations or removal of piping, liquefied petroleum gas tanks and appliances.^[8] Check any licence on DPOR's lookup.

If you are still planning a kitchen, what building an outdoor kitchen involves explains how to design drainable water lines from the start. Browse outdoor kitchen businesses, plumbers in Blacksburg, or more concrete and hardscaping answers.

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