Winter plumbing preparedness is extremely important. With winter being right around the corner, your plumbing system can take a hit with the temperature drop. However, there are various things you can do to help prevent any issues from occurring.
Winter Plumbing Tips
Here are some winter plumbing tips you can implement to help prevent your pipes from becoming frozen and much more.
- Repair leaks – If you neglect to repair any leaks in your plumbing system, this could turn into a disaster for you when winter approaches. Leaks can increase the amount you pay for utilities, no matter the time of the year. If you take care of the issues right away, you can avoid bigger issues later on. Allowing leaks to remain during the winter will only cause issues with your water and more damage in repairs if your pipes freeze.
- Allow the faucet to trickle – Before going to sleep for the night, let your faucet drip if the temperatures fall under freezing. This enables the water to keep running. In turn, this will eliminate the possibility of your pipes becoming frozen and prevent your pipes from bursting even if you end up with frozen pipes.
- Install insulation around pipes – If you have any pipes uncovered anywhere in your home, be sure to cover them using insulation to prevent them from freezing during the winter months. If you have any pipes in your home that are not located in heated locations, be sure to insulate them well.
- Keep crawl space secured – If you have a crawl space in your home, a lot of air can get in if it is not properly closed off. You can easily secure your crawl space using duct tape and cardboard. This will also safeguard your pipes. To prevent drafts from entering your home, close the entrance to your crawl space. For basements, make sure to insulate the windows to prevent air from getting into your home.
- Don’t close cabinets – As bizarre as this may sound, you should avoid closing your cabinets that have pipes in them, such as the ones under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. This enables the transfer of heat to reach them, thus eliminating frozen pipes.
- Detach pipes outside – All pipes outside should be disconnected. You can do this simply by switching off the main valve. This keeps water from flowing into lines outside, which can prevent freezing. Make sure that you keep the hoses inside to prevent them from becoming damaged when the temperatures begin to drop.
- Flush water heater – Allow all the water in your water heater to flow out. Sediment can accumulate in your water heater and begin to corrode over time. This is the same water that you may end up consuming. Flush your water heater to eliminate this buildup before the winter approaches. If you happen to discover that the water heater is already corroded, you may need to have a new water heater installed in your home.