If you live in a location where your ICS system runs all year – in other words, where there are no freezes – you don't need to do any special maintenance. The standard two-minute monthly system check will suffice.

However, if you use your ICS seasonally, you'll have to drain it well before there is a chance of a freeze. Do not push your luck and wait until the last possible moment – there's a good chance the cold snap will start a day early, catch you out and catastrophically damage your solar thermal setup!

The most important part of the seasonal system draining is to get absolutely every last bit of liquid out of the system. Even a tiny bit of water in the pipes (a cupful or two) can cause them to burst. Of course, if you planned and installed your ICS system properly, the layout will lend itself to proper drainage.

To drain the system, open all the drains while the system is idle. Leave them open until all the liquid in the system has gone. If you're not sure whether the pipes are empty, you can blow compressed air around the system to push out the last drops.

Although it sounds obsessive, extra care at the draining stage can save you a lot of trouble in the cold part of the year, so put in some extra time and effort to get it done right.