Winter Pipe Protection: 5 Hacks to Keep Them Intact in Freezing Temperatures
Winter Pipe Protection: 5 Hacks to Keep Them Intact in Freezing Temperatures
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We have uncovered this great article about How to stop pipes from freezing during the winter listed below on the web and think it made sense to share it with you on my blog.
All property owners that reside in temperate environments have to do their finest to winterize their pipelines. It is something you should do throughout autumn before deep wintertime absolutely begins. Failure to do so can mean disaster like icy, broken, or ruptured pipes. If the weather condition exterior is terrible, below are some useful winterizing hacks to maintain your plumbing system safeguarded also.
Turn On the Faucets
When the temperature level decreases and it seems as if the cold temperature will certainly last, it will certainly help to turn on your water both inside your home and also outdoors. This will keep the water moving through your plumbing systems. Furthermore, the activity will decrease the cold process. Significantly, there's no requirement to transform it on full force. You'll wind up squandering gallons of water by doing this. Rather, aim for about 5 drops per minute.
Open Cabinet Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's cold outside, it would be handy to open up cupboard doors that are camouflaging your pipes. Doing this small method can maintain your pipes warm and also limit the possibly unsafe results of freezing temperatures.
Take Time to Cover Exposed Water Lines
One cool and also simple hack to warm up cold pipelines is to wrap them with warm towels. You can cover them initially with towels. After protecting them in place, you can put boiling water on the towels. Do it slowly to allow the towels take in the liquid. You can also make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, just do not fail to remember to wear safety handwear covers to protect your hands from the warmth.
Attempt a Hair Dryer or Warmth Weapon
When your pipes are almost freezing, your dependable hair dryer or warmth weapon is a blessing. If the hot towels do not assist displace any type of clearing up ice in your pipelines, bowling warm air directly into them may assist. You might end up damaging your pipes while trying to thaw the ice.
When Pipelines are Frozen, shut Off Water
If you notice that your pipes are totally icy or almost nearing that phase, turn off the major water shutoff instantly. You will normally locate this in your basement or utility room near the heater or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off immediately to prevent further damage.
With more water, more ice will certainly stack up, which will eventually lead to burst pipelines. If you are unclear regarding the state of your pipes this winter months, it is best to call an expert plumber for an evaluation.
All property owners who live in pleasant climates have to do their finest to winterize their pipes. Failing to do so can mean catastrophe like frozen, fractured, or burst pipelines. If the hot towels do not aid remove any type of working out ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight into them may assist. Turn off the main water shutoff instantly if you see that your pipes are entirely frozen or virtually nearing that phase. With more water, even more ice will load up, which will eventually lead to break 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.
https://www.stinenichols.com/kansas-city/planning-ahead-for-winter-plumbing/
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