5 Practical Hacks for Winterizing Your Home's Plumbing Against Severe Cold
5 Practical Hacks for Winterizing Your Home's Plumbing Against Severe Cold
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We've stumbled on this article relating to Prevent Freezing and Bursting Pipes listed below on the net and felt it made sense to write about it with you in this article.
All property owners who stay in warm climates have to do their ideal to winterize their pipelines. It is something you should do throughout fall before deep winter months really begins. Failure to do so can lead to catastrophe like icy, split, or burst pipelines. If the weather condition outside is frightful, below are some useful winterizing hacks to maintain your plumbing system shielded even.
Turn On the Faucets
When the temperature level declines and also it appears as if the cold temperature will last, it will certainly help to turn on your water both inside your home and also outdoors. This will certainly maintain the water moving through your plumbing systems. You'll end up squandering gallons of water this method.
Open Up Closet Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's chilly outside, it would certainly be helpful to open cupboard doors that are concealing your pipelines. For example, they could be somewhere in your kitchen or shower room. This will certainly allow the warm air from your heater to flow there. As a result, you stop these exposed pipes from freezing. Doing this small trick can keep your pipelines cozy and also restrict the potentially dangerous outcomes of freezing temperatures.
Take Time to Cover Exposed Pipeline
One very easy and also cool hack to warm up icy pipes is to wrap them with cozy towels. You can cover them initially with towels. After protecting them in place, you can put boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to allow the towels absorb the fluid. You can likewise utilize pre-soaked towels in hot water, just do not forget to use protective gloves to secure your hands from the warmth.
Attempt a Hair Dryer or Warmth Gun
When your pipes are virtually freezing, your reliable hair clothes dryer or warmth weapon is a blessing. Bowling warm air directly right into them may assist if the hot towels do not aid dislodge any kind of working out ice in your pipelines. Nevertheless, do not make use of various other objects that create direct flames like an impact torch. This can cause a larger catastrophe that you can not regulate. You may wind up damaging your pipes while trying to melt the ice. And also in the long run, you may also wind up shedding your home. Be careful!
Turn off Water When Pipelines are Frozen
Switch off the primary water valve right away if you discover that your pipelines are entirely frozen or nearly nearing that stage. You will typically discover this in your basement or utility room near the heater or the front wall closest to the street. Transform it off today to avoid additional damages.
With even more water, more ice will load up, which will at some point lead to rupture pipes. If you are unsure about the state of your pipes this winter, it is best to call a professional plumber for an examination.
All home owners that live in warm climates should do their best to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can lead to catastrophe like frozen, cracked, or burst pipes. If the warm towels do not assist dislodge any kind of resolving ice in your pipes, bowling hot air directly into them may help. Transform off the major water shutoff promptly if you observe that your pipes are completely icy or practically nearing that phase. With even more water, more ice will certainly pile up, which will at some point lead to rupture pipes.
Planning Ahead for Winter Plumbing!
Given how the weather has been recently here in Kansas City, it may not seem like it, but the truth is winter is quickly approaching. As we near the end of September, it is never a bad idea to start considering which areas of your home could use some preventative maintenance heading into the colder months, as well as what you should remember to do once the colder temps settle in. And considering your plumbing system can certainly be impacted by changing weather conditions, guess what we’ll be talking about today?
For those that are visiting our blog for the very first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Here on the blog, we post weekly about various aspects of the plumbing world. Whether that be DIY tips, brand highlights or anything else, they’re all designed to make homeowners more knowledgeable about their plumbing systems. Believe it or not, even just some general knowledge about one’s plumbing can go a long way in preventing unneeded repairs and keeping everything running smoothly. As referenced in the previous paragraph, this week’s blog will walk through a few of the steps you can do to your own plumbing system to ensure you’re ready to go for the upcoming winter weather and tips for keeping it all in working order as the winter carries on. Let’s hop right in!
Disconnect Hoses
You’ve likely heard this one on multiple occasions, but it is certainly something worth mentioning. Make sure to disconnect any and all outdoor hoses and then turn off those outdoor faucets at the shut-off. The logic behind this is probably something you would have learned in a grade school science class. When water freezes, it expands. Thus, due to this, it’s going to occupy more space. And if there’s no space to occupy, trouble ensues. It’s as simple as that!
Long story short, if you have room to store them indoors, do so. If not, just be sure to completely drain them and then store them in a dry area, such as the garage or a shed. Failure to disconnect the hoses can easily result in frozen/bursting pipes and plumbing headaches for you, especially if there is still water sitting in the hose! Do yourself a favor and disconnect your hoses once you know you won’t be using them anymore for that season. It’s a quick-and-easy step that’s always worth the time.
Headed Out of Town?
Our next point will likely get more and more relevant as we get into the holiday season. Do you remember the extreme arctic blast that hit the Kansas City area in February of 2021? Sub-zero temps, frigid wind chills, it was definitely not the funnest of times for KC residents. Nonetheless, here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, it’s safe to say our technicians were quite busy dealing with frozen/bursting pipes. What I’m hinting at here is that you never know when we’ll experience extremely cold temperatures. So if you’re going to be out of town for a little bit, it’s never a bad idea to turn off your water at the main shut-off valve. While this won’t prevent every possible plumbing issue, it will at least limit the damage if something bad were to occur. Especially if you don’t have a family member or friend that’ll be checking on your home while you’re away, make sure to keep this tip in mind!
By the way, it may sound like a no-brainer to most, but if you are headed out of town, make sure to also keep the heat on inside while away. You will have some added energy costs from heating a home while nobody’s there, but if it prevents you from dealing with a plumbing emergency, it’s well worth it!
Leave Cabinet Doors Open
As you may start to notice, the primary winter plumbing problem that you need to be mindful of involves pipes freezing. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, they can freeze for a few different reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of various tactics you can implement to improve your odds of keeping everything in working order. Yet another one of these that you’ve likely heard before is leaving the cabinet doors under your bathroom or kitchen sink open. Will this provide complete protection? Not necessarily. However, this is an easy way to make sure some of the heat in your home is reaching those pipes that aren’t insulated under your sinks.
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