There’s more to come.
Want to know more aobut Laurel Ridge Mountain? Click the + signs below and see what pops up. :)
(adapted from Sisson Utilities’ cabin winterizing instructions)
- Tum off the outside water valve to your cabin. This valve is located in the meter box (either black or green) located alongside the home.
- Inside the cabin, tum on both the hot and cold water faucets for bathtub, and kitchen and bath sinks. Allow all water to drain from the water lines.
- Flush toilets twice to remove any water in the basin, tank, and lines.
- Pour anti-freeze or windshield wiper fluid (about 1 glass full) into each of the kitchen sink, bathroom, and bathtub drains and in the commode bowl, tank, and in the overflow pipe located in the commode tank.
- On the outside of the home, open up your outside water faucet to drain out any water in this line. Leave this faucet open. Remember to remove any water hoses from your faucet and leave them off.
- Underneath your home, in the crawlspace, you will find a valve above or below your hot water heater. This should be the lowest point in your plumbing. Open this valve to remove any remaining water trapped in the lines. NOTE: If you choose the lower valve and drain the water heater, make sure that you first turn off the water heater circuit breaker in the electrical panel (or, for propane water heaters, turn off the gas) before draining. Leave the valve open to allow any residual water to drain.
- Upon returning, be sure to close this valve and allow enough time for the water heater to fill before turning the breaker back on.
- Draining your water lines is important! If power service is disrupted, which often happens in winter storms, your heat source will likely be disrupted as well.
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT SISSON…
Remember, should your pipes freeze, you not only risk damage to your home, but you also drain the entire water system, causing the entire community to be without water. Finding a leak from frozen pipes involves a Sisson crew performing a house-to-house search on the mountain to locate the source of the water outage. This can be a very slow and tedious process. Sisson Utilities will assess a fee of $750.00 to any homeowner who allows their plumbing to freeze and cause such a water outage.
We are fortunate enough to have an entrance to the Benton MacKaye Trail (part of the Appalachian Trail) right here on Laurel Ridge Mountain! Scroll down for directions to the trailhead, or download a PDF version here.
From the Church, go up Laurel Ridge Dr, then bear right at the fork onto Laurel Ridge Rd (a.k.a. the creek road).
Follow that road, up the paved hill, curve to the right,
and you will see a grassy area on the right. If you drove,
this is a good place to park.
The road will fork again, and you’ll see a cabin rental sign. Stay to the right.
Keep going and you’ll see a bridge. Cross the bridge and turn left. You’ll be
on a gray rock trail.
There will be an orange blockade that says stay out (with the exception of hikers). This is private property, but the owner permits hikers to use it.
If you follow this trail about 1.75 miles, You’ll get to the Benton MacKaye trailhead. This is the trailhead sign.
Many thanks to Trish Toth for creating these directions!
For more information on the Benton MacKaye Trail, please visit bmt.org.
This trail is good for intermediate hikers. If you want an easier trail or more variety, check out the Hiking section on blueridgemountains.com.
Have a favorite contractor, plumber, electrician, cleaner, yard guy? Please let us know. Here’s a list of providers your neighbors love and recommend:
Roads & Drainage
| Marek Bass Construction (Marek Bass, owner) | (706) 487-0110 |
Plumbing
| Tim Land | (706) 669-8622 |
Electrical
| Tim Land | (706) 669-8622 |
Construction & Remodeling Contractors
| Rory Coffey | (706) 455-2201 |
| Randy Patton | (706) 455-0097 |