We've discovered this article about How to Prevent Frozen Pipes below on the net and think it made sense to relate it with you on this site.
All property owners who stay in warm environments need to do their ideal to winterize their pipelines. It is something you have to do throughout autumn prior to deep winter months truly starts. Failing to do so can spell catastrophe like icy, split, or ruptured pipelines. Below are some useful winterizing hacks to maintain your plumbing system protected even if the weather condition outside is shocking.
Switch on the Faucets
When the temperature decreases as well as it seems as if the icy temperature will certainly last, it will aid to turn on your water both inside your home and outdoors. This will certainly keep the water streaming via your plumbing systems. In addition, the activity will decrease the cold procedure. Significantly, there's no demand to transform it on full blast. You'll end up losing gallons of water this way. Instead, go for about 5 drops per minute.
Open Up Cupboard Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's cold outside, it would certainly be practical to open cupboard doors that are masking your pipes. Doing this small method can keep your pipes warm as well as restrict the potentially harmful results of freezing temperature levels.
Require Time to Wrap Exposed Water Lines
One very easy as well as cool hack to heat up frigid pipes is to wrap them with warm towels. You can cover them first with towels. After securing them in place, you can put boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to let the towels take in the liquid. You can likewise use pre-soaked towels in hot water, simply don't fail to remember to wear protective handwear covers to secure your hands from the warmth.
Try a Hair Dryer or Warm Weapon
When your pipes are nearly freezing, your trusty hair dryer or warmth weapon is a godsend. If the hot towels do not help dislodge any kind of settling ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight into them might assist. Nevertheless, do not make use of various other things that create straight fires like a strike lantern. This can cause a larger disaster that you can not control. You may end up damaging your pipes while trying to melt the ice. And over time, you might also end up shedding your home. So be cautious!
When Pipelines are Frozen, close Off Water
If you discover that your pipelines are completely icy or almost nearing that phase, turn off the main water shutoff immediately. You will usually find this in your cellar or laundry room near the heating unit or the front wall closest to the street. Transform it off right away to stop additional damage.
Do not fail to remember to close exterior water sources, too, such as your connection for the garden residence. Doing this will protect against extra water from filling up your plumbing system. With even more water, even more ice will stack up, which will at some point lead to burst pipes. If you are unsure regarding the state of your pipelines this winter, it is best to call a specialist plumber for an inspection. Taking this positive method can save you hundreds of bucks in repairs.
All property owners who live in temperate climates should do their best to winterize their pipes. Failing to do so can lead to calamity like icy, broken, or burst pipes. If the warm towels do not assist remove any working out ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight into them might aid. Turn off the primary water valve quickly if you notice that your pipes are completely frozen or practically nearing that stage. With more water, more ice will stack up, which will ultimately 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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