The author is making a few great pointers about How to stop pipes from freezing during the winter in general in this post directly below.
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All homeowners that live in pleasant climates must do their finest to winterize their pipes. Failing to do so can lead to disaster like icy, broken, or burst pipelines.
Turn On the Faucets
When the temperature level drops as well as it appears as if the frigid temperature level will certainly last, it will certainly assist to turn on your water both inside your home and outdoors. This will certainly maintain the water moving through your plumbing systems. You'll end up losing gallons of water this way.
Open Closet Doors Hiding Plumbing
It would certainly be valuable to open up cabinet doors that are camouflaging your pipelines when it's chilly outside. For instance, they could be someplace in your cooking area or restroom. This will certainly allow the warm air from your heating unit to circulate there. Therefore, you protect against these revealed pipes from freezing. Doing this little trick can keep your pipes cozy as well as limit the possibly harmful results of freezing temperatures.
Take Some Time to Cover Exposed Pipeline
One very easy as well as cool hack to warm up cold pipelines is to cover them with cozy towels. You can likewise utilize pre-soaked towels in warm water, simply do not forget to put on protective gloves to protect your hands from the warm.
Try a Hair Clothes Dryer or Warmth Weapon
When your pipes are nearly freezing, your reliable hair dryer or warmth gun is a godsend. Bowling hot air directly into them may assist if the warm towels do not assist displace any kind of settling ice in your pipes. Do not use other objects that generate direct fires like a blow lantern. This can result in a bigger catastrophe that you can not control. You might end up destructive your pipes while trying to melt the ice. As well as over time, you might even end up shedding your house. Be cautious!
Shut Off Water When Pipelines are Frozen
Shut off the primary water valve instantly if you see that your pipelines are totally frozen or practically nearing that stage. You will typically find this in your cellar or utility room near the heating unit or the front wall surface closest to the street. Turn it off immediately to prevent additional damage.
Don't forget to close external water sources, as well, such as your hookup for the yard residence. Doing this will certainly protect against added water from filling out your plumbing system. With more water, more ice will pile up, which will eventually lead to break pipelines. It is best to call a specialist plumber for an inspection if you are uncertain regarding the state of your pipes this winter. Taking this proactive technique can save you thousands of dollars in repairs.
All homeowners who live in temperate environments should do their ideal to winterize their pipes. Failure to do so can spell catastrophe like icy, cracked, or burst pipelines. If the warm towels do not aid remove any kind of working out ice in your pipes, bowling warm air directly right into them might assist. Transform off the primary water shutoff instantly if you notice that your pipelines are totally frozen or practically nearing that phase. With even more water, more ice will pile up, which will eventually 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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