There’s a lot of prep work involved in getting your home ready for the long winter months, especially when you live in an area where the weather gets especially cold and the season never seems to end.
Winter plumbing preparation is an important part of protecting your home against disaster. Frozen pipes or burst water lines are no joke and can cost you a lot in damages.
Thankfully you can plan ahead with the help of an experienced plumber so you can bundle up in a home that’s ready to handle the cold with no issues.
Let’s take a look at some winter plumbing problems to look out for as temperatures drop:
1. Frozen Pipes
When winter hits, be on the lookout for frozen pipes. Any area of your plumbing system can freeze over if the pipes aren’t protected and if the temperatures are low enough. Once the weather turns cold, you should have your plumbing system checked out for at-risk pipes and to make sure your system is protected.
How can you protect your pipes? Well for starters, if you plan to head out of town, make sure you leave the heat in your house on set to at least 50 degrees F to keep the pipes warm enough.
If the temperature is going to drop significantly, open cabinet doors so that heat from the rest of the home can reach pipes under sinks. You can also add heating tape or extra insulation which can both be purchased at your local hardware store. If you really want to make sure you avoid the risk of frozen pipes, call a professional plumber before winter rolls around to have them prepare your winter plumbing.
2. A Failed Water Heater
There’s nothing like a failed water heater when all you want is to take a hot shower or bath when it’s freezing cold outside. Standard water heaters can perform pretty well for a good ten years, but after that point, many of them need to be replaced altogether, so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re living in an older house or you haven’t had your water heater maintained in years.
The water within the tank should be kept at temperature during the cold winter months to keep the heater from working overtime. If your water heater has to work extra hard, it’s more likely that it will fail, especially if it’s an older system. Make sure your water heater is running smoothly and doesn’t require replacement by calling an experienced plumber to check it out.
3. Clogged Drains
Winter plumbing problems frequently include clogged drains, especially as lots of holiday dishes are prepared and more food pieces enter the drainage system. If you have visitors coming to stay at your home, and your sinks and showers are going to be used more than they typically would, your shower, toilet, and sink drains are also at a greater risk of getting clogged.
To avoid an especially inconvenient clogging issue, have your drains cleared out before the holiday visits.
4. A Water Line Leak
If your home’s pipes are older, they’re more prone to developing holes or splitting which can lead to a water line leak disaster. The most common cause of a water line leak is a frozen line that ends up splitting the pipe. If you don’t want to deal with the huge hassle that is a water line leak, plan ahead by making sure your water line is in good shape.
If you examine your line before the cold weather even hits, and you notice a leak, call a plumber to fix this problem before it gets much worse. Leaks get larger if they aren’t repaired right away, and this can lead to extensive damage to your home or your home’s foundation. By that point, you have a big expense on your hands.
Plan Ahead for Winter Plumbing Problems With Professional Help
Take care of any winter plumbing issues before disaster strikes by getting in contact with us at Edwin Stipe, Inc.
Our experienced plumbers have helped countless customers prepare for the brutal New Jersey and Pennsylvania winters. We’ve also been there in a hurry when disaster strikes to make repairs when there’s no time to waste.
Don’t wait until it’s too late, contact us today to make sure your pipes are ready for the winter ahead!
