Winterizing Your Plumbing During Colder Months
Making snow angels, ice skating on a pond, snowball fights, sitting snug next to a fire while snacking on scrumptious smores, yes you guessed it, the magic and bliss of winter time. Nothing can compare to it. Nothing can poke a hole in this bubble of a peaceful and harmonic spell, except your pipes. There is nothing more exciting than frozen pipes, especially when they burst from the warmth of the next day.
We all know that dealing with plumbing during the winter season is not exactly fun or fast. It is an problem that we keep running into time and again. This continuous battle between you and your plumbing during wintry weather has to stop immediately and if it doesn’t, I hate to break it to you, but the pipes are definitely going to win, unless you do something about it. So put down your delicious hot cocoa and face it, your plumbing is going nowhere. So take a stance and fix this problem before it gets out of control. It’s time to winter proof your plumbing!
There are many ways you can keep your pipes from becoming frost bitten during the cold season. The ones that are of utmost concern are any that may have a lot of exposure to the cold, such as sprinklers, pools, outdoor hoses, unheated rooms, etc. Your house should be heated at all times, which does not seem to be a concern during the winter. It is advised to leave a few doors or windows open to let the air flow throughout the house.
Insulating your pipes is another great way to winterize your home plumbing. This can be done by using a unique insulating type tape or foam padding. If you want to save money, then the rags you leave in your kitchen sink or the newspapers you read every morning can be of use. Both could also act as an insulator for your pipes, just do not use it if the pipe you choose to place it in is at risk of getting wet.
Any plumbing fixtures or pipes that are out in the open must be exposed to some source of heating. Whether it be a lamp from your living room or a space heater, both will do the job. Remember, whatever source you choose must be kept at a safe distance from either the fixtures or the pipes. If not than you will end up having two issues to solve. It is advised to run your faucets routinely every day. It can get tremendously chilly, that is why running the water from every valve in your house should be done continuously throughout the day to assure that the water will not freeze over.
These are some easy tips that can help you winterize your home and relieve you from any plumbing disasters. Just always remember to not leave it until the last minute, that way you can get it over with, and go back to enjoying that bubble of a peaceful and harmonic spell called winter.