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All property owners that live in temperate environments should do their ideal to winterize their pipes. Failure to do so can lead to disaster like icy, cracked, or ruptured pipes.
Switch on the Faucets
When the temperature declines and it seems as if the icy temperature level will certainly last, it will certainly aid to transform on your water both indoors and outdoors. This will keep the water streaming with your plumbing systems. You'll finish up throwing away gallons of water this means.
Open Up Cabinet Doors Hiding Plumbing
It would be valuable to open cabinet doors that are camouflaging your pipelines when it's cold outside. For example, they could be someplace in your cooking area or washroom. This will allow the warm air from your heating system to distribute there. Because of this, you avoid these revealed pipelines from cold. Doing this tiny trick can keep your pipes warm as well as restrict the potentially harmful results of freezing temperatures.
Take Some Time to Cover Exposed Water Lines
One nifty and also easy hack to warm up icy pipes is to wrap them with warm towels. You can cover them first with towels. After protecting them in place, you can pour boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to allow the towels take in the liquid. You can also utilize pre-soaked towels in hot water, just don't neglect to use protective handwear covers to guard your hands from the warm.
Attempt a Hair Dryer or Heat Gun
When your pipes are nearly freezing, your dependable hair clothes dryer or warm gun is a blessing. If the warm towels do not help remove any kind of working out ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight into them might aid. Do not utilize other objects that generate straight flames like a blow lantern. This can cause a bigger disaster that you can not regulate. You might end up damaging your pipelines while trying to melt the ice. And also in the future, you may also wind up burning your residence. Beware!
When Pipelines are Frozen, close Off Water
If you notice that your pipelines are entirely icy or virtually nearing that phase, transform off the major water valve instantly. You will usually find this in your basement or utility room near the heater or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off today to avoid additional damage.
Don't neglect to shut outside water sources, as well, such as your hookup for the garden house. Doing this will avoid additional water from filling out your plumbing system. However, with more water, even more ice will accumulate, which will ultimately lead to rupture pipes. If you are unclear regarding the state of your pipes this winter months, it is best to call a professional plumber for an examination. Taking this proactive method can conserve you thousands of dollars out of commission.
All homeowners that live in pleasant environments should do their best to winterize their pipes. Failing to do so can mean catastrophe like icy, split, or burst pipes. If the hot towels do not assist remove any type of resolving ice in your pipes, bowling warm air straight into them may help. Transform off the main water shutoff promptly if you discover that your pipes are entirely frozen or virtually nearing that phase. With more water, even more ice will certainly load up, which will ultimately 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.
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