How To Protect Your Plumbing System This Winter

01/31/2020

---

When plumbing disasters occur, they tend to happen at the worst possible time, like when you’re about to leave for that amazing Christmas vacation and you’ve spent all your money. If you plan ahead, however, you can prevent an unpleasant scenario from ruining your winter.

So here’s what you need to do to protect your plumbing system this winter.

Insulate hot and cold water pipes

Insulating pipes in unheated spaces is obvious and if you have pipework in this type of space, then insulating them should be at the top of your list.

But if you want to really protect your plumbing system (and minimize energy wastage in the process), you should consider insulating all your piping as far as possible. That way, if your heating system fails while you’re away, you’re less likely to face frozen pipes when you get back.

Clear leaves before the snowfall

Taking care of your drainage system starts when the leaves fall. The buildup of debris in your storm drains can result in an icy buildup in the winter that cracks pipes or melts in the spring to flood your yard and possibly your basement.

Carry out maintenance on your water heater

Hot water is important all year long. But in winter time, a cold shower just isn’t an option (unless you’re one of those people doing winter dips into the Great Lakes for fun).

Ensuring that your heater works in winter also protects your family from the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if you have a gas fired water heater. In a home that’s mostly closed to keep the heat in, your risk of exposure increases.

Keep your house warm

The simplest thing you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing is to ensure that the temperature inside your home, at the coolest place, never drops below freezing. Keeping your HVAC system in top shape will protect your home as well as keep the winter chill out.

Inspect and repair hidden leaks

This should be on your to do list year round but when the temperature drops, it becomes more critical to ensure that no water is leaking into your home’s structure. If it freezes, you’ll be repairing more than your plumbing as ice damages your home’s walls and foundation.

Insulate your attic if you have piping there

Keeping the heat in your attic benefits your bill as well as your plumbing. Even with insulated pipework, you want to minimize heat loss by ensuring that your attic and other unheated spaces are also insulated.

If you need help protecting your plumbing system this winter, give us a call.

---