It’s winter again and so it’s time to start thinking about winterizing your home’s plumbing.
Winterizing your home’s plumbing is an important yearly exercise to avoid the potential calamity of frozen pipes. When water freezes inside pipes, it causes them to expand and sometimes burst, resulting in expensive water damage and repairs.
You can protect your plumbing from freezing temperatures and keep it operating smoothly all winter by adopting a few easy steps.
We recommend the following:
1) Wrap exposed pipes in insulation.
It is important to insulate any exposed pipes to protect them from the harsh freezing temperatures. This is possible with pre-formed foam pipe insulation, which is simple to install and available at most hardware stores.
To guarantee a snug fit, measure the diameter and length of your pipes before purchasing the insulation.
2) Add attic insulation
Consider installing additional insulation to your attic, crawl space, or any other area where pipes are present. This will help keep the air around the pipes warm, preventing freezing during the cold winter.
3) Remove exterior hoses
Disconnecting and draining any external hoses is another crucial step in winterizing your plumbing. If a hose is left connected to an outdoor faucet, water can freeze inside the pipe, causing it to expand and potentially break. You can avoid this by disconnecting the hose and emptying any remaining water.
4) Allow a slow drip
During exceptionally cold weather, keeps a slow drip of water running from your faucets. The steady flow will keep the water inside the pipes from freezing, preventing it from becoming excessively cold. To avoid wasting water, open the faucet furthest away from the water meter.
5) Turn off the water
Going to be away from your home for an extended amount of time during the winter? If so, it would be best to turn off your home’s water supply. Doing so will keep any water from entering the pipes and freezing while you are away. Also, keep the heat on in the home. Just set to the thermostat a lower temperature to prevent the pipes from freezing.
Final thoughts
You can protect your plumbing from freezing conditions and avoid the potential disaster of frozen pipes by following the recommendations we provided above
