The article author is making a number of good points on How to stop pipes from freezing during the winter in general in the article down below.
All homeowners that live in temperate climates need to do their best to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can spell catastrophe like icy, fractured, or ruptured pipes.
Try a Hair Clothes Dryer or Heat Gun
When your pipelines are nearly freezing, your reliable hair dryer or heat gun is a blessing. If the warm towels do not assist displace any settling ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air straight right into them may help. Do not make use of other items that generate direct flames like a strike torch. This can result in a bigger disaster that you can not regulate. You might end up damaging your pipelines while attempting to thaw the ice. As well as over time, you may also end up melting your house. So beware!
Open Up Cupboard Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's cool outside, it would be useful to open cupboard doors that are masking your pipes. Doing this tiny method can maintain your pipes warm as well as restrict the possibly hazardous end results of freezing temperatures.
Require Time to Cover Exposed Water Lines
One great as well as very easy hack to warm up frigid pipelines is to cover them with cozy towels. You can also make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, just don't fail to remember to put on protective handwear covers to secure your hands from the warm.
Turn On the Faucets
When the temperature declines and it seems as if the freezing temperature level will last, it will certainly help to transform on your water both inside your home as well as outdoors. This will certainly keep the water flowing via your plumbing systems. You'll finish up throwing away gallons of water this means.
When Pipes are Frozen, close Off Water
Shut off the major water valve promptly if you notice that your pipes are totally frozen or nearly nearing that phase. You will generally find this in your cellar or utility room near the heater or the front wall surface closest to the street. Transform it off right away to prevent additional damages.
Do not forget to shut outside water sources, also, such as your hookup for the yard residence. Doing this will certainly avoid extra water from filling out your plumbing system. Sadly, with more water, even more ice will certainly pile up, which will eventually lead to break pipelines. If you are unclear about the state of your pipelines this winter season, it is best to call a professional plumber for an examination. Taking this proactive technique can conserve you thousands of dollars in repairs.
All homeowners who live in pleasant environments must do their ideal to winterize their pipes. Failure to do so can lead to catastrophe like icy, broken, or ruptured pipes. If the warm towels do not assist remove any resolving ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air directly into them might assist. Turn off the major water shutoff right away if you observe that your pipes are totally frozen or almost nearing that stage. With more water, more ice will stack up, which will at some point lead to break pipelines.
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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