Helpful Methods to Winterize Your Plumbing and Avoid Freezing in Frigid Weather
Helpful Methods to Winterize Your Plumbing and Avoid Freezing in Frigid Weather
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Here below you might get additional helpful insights on the subject of Prevent Freezing and Bursting Pipes.
All homeowners that live in temperate climates must do their ideal to winterize their pipelines. Failure to do so can mean disaster like icy, cracked, or burst pipelines.
Try a Hair Dryer or Heat Weapon
When your pipelines are virtually freezing, your reliable hair dryer or warmth gun is a godsend. If the hot towels do not assist dislodge any type of settling ice in your pipes, bowling hot air straight into them may assist. You may end up damaging your pipes while trying to thaw the ice.
Open Up Closet Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's cold outside, it would be useful to open cabinet doors that are camouflaging your pipelines. They can be someplace in your cooking area or restroom. This will certainly allow the cozy air from your heating system to flow there. Consequently, you prevent these revealed pipes from freezing. Doing this tiny method can maintain your pipelines warm and also restrict the potentially hazardous end results of freezing temperature levels.
Take Some Time to Cover Exposed Water Lines
One very easy as well as cool hack to warm up icy pipelines is to wrap them with cozy towels. You can cover them first with towels. After safeguarding them in position, you can put boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to allow the towels take in the fluid. You can likewise make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, simply do not forget to wear protective gloves to protect your hands from the warm.
Activate the Faucets
When the temperature decreases and also it appears as if the freezing temperature level will certainly last, it will certainly help to activate your water both indoors and outdoors. This will certainly maintain the water flowing through your plumbing systems. Additionally, the motion will certainly slow down the freezing procedure. Especially, there's no requirement to transform it on full force. You'll end up throwing away gallons of water this way. Rather, aim for concerning 5 decreases per min.
Shut down Water When Pipelines are Frozen
Shut off the main water valve instantly if you observe that your pipelines are totally frozen or practically nearing that phase. You will usually find this in your cellar or utility room near the heating unit or the front wall surface closest to the street. Turn it off immediately to prevent further damages.
Don't forget to close exterior water resources, too, such as your connection for the garden house. Doing this will protect against additional water from filling your plumbing system. Sadly, with more water, even more ice will certainly accumulate, which will eventually result in rupture pipelines. It is best to call an expert plumber for an inspection if you are uncertain concerning the state of your pipes this winter. Taking this aggressive approach can conserve you hundreds of dollars in repairs.
All home owners who live in temperate climates have to do their finest to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can mean calamity like icy, split, or ruptured pipelines. If the warm towels do not help dislodge any clearing up ice in your pipes, bowling warm air directly right into them may aid. Transform off the major water valve immediately if you discover that your pipes are totally icy or nearly nearing that phase. With even more water, even more ice will load up, which will ultimately lead to burst 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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