Wise Winterizing Solutions: A Few Techniques to Stop Pipe Bursts
Wise Winterizing Solutions: A Few Techniques to Stop Pipe Bursts
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All home owners who stay in warm climates have to do their finest to winterize their pipelines. It is something you have to do during autumn before deep wintertime really begins. Failure to do so can spell calamity like icy, broken, or burst pipelines. Right here are some helpful winterizing hacks to keep your plumbing system protected even if the climate outside is frightful.
Try a Hair Clothes Dryer or Warmth Weapon
When your pipes are nearly freezing, your trusty hair dryer or warmth weapon is a blessing. Bowling warm air directly into them may assist if the hot towels do not help displace any kind of settling ice in your pipelines. Do not make use of various other objects that generate direct fires like a strike lantern. This can lead to a larger catastrophe that you can not regulate. You may end up damaging your pipelines while attempting to melt the ice. And also in the future, you may even end up burning your home. So beware!
Open Closet Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's cool outside, it would certainly be useful to open cabinet doors that are camouflaging your pipelines. They might be somewhere in your cooking area or restroom. This will enable the cozy air from your heating system to flow there. Consequently, you prevent these exposed pipelines from cold. Doing this small method can maintain your pipelines warm as well as restrict the possibly dangerous outcomes of freezing temperature levels.
Take Time to Wrap Exposed Water Lines
One nifty and easy hack to heat up cold pipelines is to wrap them with warm towels. You can cover them first with towels. After safeguarding them in position, you can pour boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to allow the towels take in the liquid. You can likewise utilize pre-soaked towels in hot water, simply don't forget to put on protective gloves to protect your hands from the warmth.
Activate the Faucets
When the temperature level decreases and also it appears as if the cold temperature will last, it will aid to turn on your water both inside your home and outdoors. This will maintain the water flowing via your plumbing systems. You'll finish up throwing away gallons of water this method.
When Pipelines are Frozen, shut Off Water
If you observe that your pipelines are entirely icy or virtually nearing that phase, turn off the primary water shutoff quickly. You will generally locate this in your cellar or laundry room near the heating unit or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off right now to avoid further damages.
With even more water, even more ice will stack up, which will at some point lead to break pipes. If you are unsure concerning the state of your pipelines this winter season, it is best to call a professional plumber for an inspection.
All homeowners that live in warm climates must do their best to winterize their pipes. Failing to do so can mean disaster like icy, broken, or burst pipes. If the hot towels do not aid dislodge any type of working out ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air directly into them may help. Turn off the primary water shutoff promptly if you notice that your pipes are totally icy or almost nearing that stage. With more water, more ice will stack up, which will at some point 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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