Avoid Pipe Bursts in Cold Weather: 5 Effective Winterizing Hacks
ExploreThey are making a number of great pointers on the subject of How to stop pipes from freezing during the winter as a whole in the content further down.
All property owners that live in temperate climates have to do their best to winterize their pipelines. Failure to do so can mean calamity like frozen, split, or ruptured pipes.
Attempt a Hair Dryer or Warm Weapon
When your pipes are practically freezing, your dependable hair dryer or warm weapon is a godsend. If the hot towels do not aid dislodge any type of clearing up ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight into them may assist. Do not use various other items that create straight flames like a strike torch. This can lead to a larger calamity that you can not manage. You might wind up destructive your pipelines while attempting to melt the ice. And in the future, you might also end up burning your house. Be careful!
Open Cupboard Doors Hiding Plumbing
It would certainly be helpful to open up closet doors that are masking your pipelines when it's chilly outside. They might be somewhere in your kitchen or bathroom. This will permit the cozy air from your heating unit to circulate there. Because of this, you avoid these revealed pipes from freezing. Doing this small trick can maintain your pipes warm and also restrict the potentially hazardous results of freezing temperatures.
Take Time to Cover Exposed Pipes
One easy and also nifty hack to heat up frigid pipelines is to wrap them with cozy towels. You can also utilize pre-soaked towels in hot water, simply don't neglect to wear safety gloves to secure your hands from the heat.
Activate the Faucets
When the temperature level drops and it appears as if the cold temperature will last, it will certainly help to transform on your water both inside your home and also outdoors. This will maintain the water flowing through your plumbing systems. You'll end up squandering gallons of water this means.
When Pipelines are Frozen, shut Off Water
If you notice that your pipes are totally frozen or nearly nearing that phase, transform off the major water shutoff right away. You will generally locate this in your cellar or laundry room near the heater or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off immediately to stop more damages.
With even more water, even more ice will certainly stack up, which will eventually lead to burst pipelines. If you are uncertain about the state of your pipelines this winter, it is best to call a specialist plumber for an assessment.
All property owners that live in warm climates need to do their finest to winterize their pipelines. Failure to do so can lead to disaster like icy, split, or burst pipes. If the hot towels do not aid remove any clearing up ice in your pipes, bowling warm air directly right into them may aid. Turn off the major water valve instantly if you discover that your pipes are entirely icy or almost nearing that stage. With more water, more ice will 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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