How to Prepare Your Plumbing for Winter in 7 Easy Steps
If your home is not ready for winter, cold temperatures can harm your plumbing system and lead to costly damage caused by burst pipes. So you should take certain measures to protect your plumbing system from winter weather and avoid costly burst pipes issues. Learn how you can prepare your home and your plumbing for winter and prevent plumbing damage from freezing.
- Check your pipes for leaks and fix them
It’s the first step that you should take. Inspect all your pipes and check them for possible leaks. In winter months, even the smallest leak can cause serious problems. If the temperature drops, the water in your pipes can freeze and swell and lead to bursting pipe around the leaky section and spread to surrounding pipes which can be expensive and time-consuming to fix. If you notice any signs of leaks, you should have all leaks repaired early because that can save you unnecessary work in the future.
- Insulate your pipes in unheated areas
Water pipes in your crawl area, garage, basement or attic are more vulnerable to freezing when the temperature drops. Insulation is the first thing you should do to prevent leaks, cracks and burst pipes in these unheated areas and it will be wise to protect pipes in closets or under sinks as well. Wrap all exposed pipes using heat tape, insulation foam or insulation sleeves and do not leave any gaps.
- Winterize your outside faucets
Turn off outdoor faucets and taps and drain water from them. A good idea is to turn off the water supply to them. Disconnect and drain water hoses and store them indoors in winter.
- Service your water heater
Give your water heater a tune up. You should drain and maintain your water heater to get rid of sediments at the bottom of the tank but as it’s hard to do it yourself, you should call a qualified professional for this task. He will do a professional check and repair to keep you from making an emergency call to a plumber in winter.
- Open cupboard doors
Leave cabinets doors open under sinks in your bathroom, kitchen or basement to allow warm air to circulate and insulate the pipes to prevent them from freezing.
- Keep your home warm
Make sure your heating system is in good order and do not turn off your furnace even if you are going away for winter holidays. You should keep the thermostat set at least to 55 degrees to avoid thousands of dollars in water in water damage from a burst pipe.
It’s vital to invest your time and take care of your plumbing system before the winter sets in so you don’t have to worry about frozen pipes or deal with any plumbing emergency in winter when you need your pipes the most. If you want to get a professional plumbing system inspection, contact our team of certified plumbing experts at Tornado Plumbing. We will gladly help you prepare your plumbing for winter. We also provide emergency plumbing services 24/7 and offer competitive rates.
