Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing By Following A Few Tips

If you live in an area where the winter can bring freezing temperatures, then your plumbing may be at risk of freezing. Freezing pipes can mean big trouble for both your plumbing and your home. When a pipe freezes, it can burst and cause flooding throughout your home. This means along with the cost of repairing the pipe, you are also looking at repair and replacement expenses for your home and the belongings that got in the way of the flooding. The tips below will help you prepare your pipes for cold weather.

Insulate your pipes

You want to make sure you protect the pipes by insulating them, just as you insulate your home. Along with helping prevent your pipes from freezing, insulating them will also help to keep the pipes warmer for a longer period of time. This means your water heater won't have to work as hard to warm the water, saving on the water heater's wear and tear and your energy expenses.

The pipes that run through your home will already be kept warm from the inner temperature of your house. The pipes you want to be concerned with are the ones exposed to the elements, so they should be easy for you to access. To insulate your pipes, you want to clean them and wrap them in insulation. Use duct tape to secure the insulation in place.

Drain your outside gardening system

The first thing you want to do is turn off the water at the main valve of your sprinkler system. You also want to shut off your timer. You may be able to do this by choosing the mode for rain, or you might have to shut it down completely depending on the type of system you own. Then, drain all the water out of the garden hoses. Disconnect them from the spigots and wrap them up. You want to store them in your garage for the season to avoid them becoming brittle and cracking.

Care for the plumbing on the inside your home

You want to make sure you keep some heat on in your home, even when you are going to be away for a period of time. Also, unless you insulate all the pipes, you want to keep faucets dripping that are connected to pipes leading outside. The drip shouldn't be too much, but enough to keep a steady flow of water moving through the pipes to avoid freezing.

For more information, contact a plumber like Paton Bros Ltd.

Share