How To Prepare Your Plumbing System For The Winter

It’s time to start planning what needs to be done around your home to get ready for the  incoming cold weather now that fall has finally come and winter is just around the horizon. This fall, you should focus on a variety of things, but your plumbing system should be right up there, close to the top of the list. The risk to your plumbing system will only grow as the temperatures begin to plummet during the coming months.

In addition to having to deal with severe inconveniences, there is also a chance that specific components of your plumbing system might be entirely damaged under the correct circumstances. Avoid leaving it until it is too late. Prepare your home’s plumbing system for the next winter by starting now, in the fall. Our team of experts has taken the time to compile this brief list of some of the more useful advice we have gathered over the years of service to help you with this task and make sure the plumbing system in your home is given the necessary protection.

4 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET YOUR PLUMBING SYSTEM READY FOR THE WINTER

Fix any leak:

One of the first and most crucial tasks to complete when getting ready your home’s plumbing system for winter is to have any leaks in the system fixed. While it is feasible to complete this task on your own, it is much simpler to contact a professional to handle it for you. In the winter, if the temperatures drop low enough, even the smallest leaks can seriously harm your system. Any leaky areas in your pipes are logical weak spots, and as the temperature drops and the water in your pipes begins to expand, these weak spots could be a natural location for the pipe to burst due to the increased pressure. This is not only very annoying but fixing it can be rather expensive. You can save a ton of time, money, and hassle in the next winter months by taking the time now to have any leaks in your system professionally repaired.

Invest In Pipe Insulation:

Making sure that any exposed pipes near your home are adequately insulated is another thing you should do this fall before the temperatures begin to drop. If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, a plumbing expert would be more than happy to assist. This typically entails covering the pipes in insulation foam. This can help you save money on water heating bills and lessen the likelihood that your pipes will freeze and burst over the upcoming winter.

Prepare Your Outdoor Faucets for Winter:

In the upcoming winter, if you don’t switch off any outdoor faucets or appliances, frozen pipes might seriously harm your plumbing system. You’ll want to make sure that any hoses or the like that may be connected to your outdoor faucets are drained, disconnected, and stored safely for the winter in order to help prevent this. The best way to do this is typically to totally turn off the water supply to these specific faucets. The next thing you want to do is make sure that these exposed pipes themselves are entirely drained of any water that can freeze and expand over the winter.

Locate the Water Main:

You’ll want to be ready in case a pipe does burst on you this winter, and the first step towards readiness is knowing where your water main is. If you are aware of the location of your water main in advance, you can swiftly turn off the water in an emergency to help limit damage while you wait for repairs. In the winter, it may also be a good idea to turn off the electricity in your home if you know you’ll be gone for a while. This will reduce the chance that any pipes will burst while you’re gone.