The last thing you need during the mad holiday rush is to have something go wrong with your plumbing, right?
Unfortunately, if you don’t prepare your plumbing for the winter, you could end up paying a big price, and you don’t need any added expenses during a time that your budget is already stretched to the limit.
There’s no such thing as a “good time” for a plumbing emergency. Emergencies often occur when our minds are on something else, like preparing for out-of-town guests over Thanksgiving and Christmas.
While you’re stocking the fridge for your annual holiday dinner or the linen closet with new sheets and towels for your in-laws, don’t forget that the colder weather means more than holiday travel, it means temperature shifts that can cause your plumbing to fail at the worst of times – when you have a house full of guests!
Here are some of our top winterizing tips to help you prepare your plumbing for the cool, if not freezing temperatures ahead:
1. Prevent frozen pipes.
When the temperature outside drops below freezing, the water inside your pipes can freeze and the pipes can burst. If you’re not around when the pipes burst, you can come home to a real disaster. You could walk right into a massive indoor flood, which can cause costly damage to your furnishings, flooring, and the structure of your home.
2. If you have a leak, fix it now.
When you ignore little leaks, they can grow into bigger leaks. The best time to repair a leak is always as soon as you discover it; you don’t want to wait. Take a tour of your home and inspect all of the faucets, showers, and bathtubs for leaks. If you find a leak, contact a trusted plumber to take care of it right away.
3. Take care of your water heater by doing this.
Your water heater is VERY important during the winter. If you live in an area with hard water (as many of us do), you’ll want to drain the hot water heater. Why? Because, over time sediment builds up in the tank, which causes rust to develop inside the water heater. If you notice rust when you turn on the kitchen sink, the shower or bath, it may be time to replace the hot water heater.
4. Stash away the garden hose.
We recommend storing the garden hose until the temperatures warm back up. If you leave your garden hose connected outside during the winter, the water inside the hose can freeze and expand, which can cause the faucets and connecting pipes to experience freezing.
5. Take care of any shut-off valves that lead outdoors.
If your home has interior shut-off valves that lead to outdoor faucets, we suggest closing the valves and draining the water from the lines outside. If water is left in the lines and it freezes, it could cause costly damage.
The last thing we suggest doing before it gets too late is cleaning out the sump pump in your basement. A little maintenance can go a long way in preventing a sump pump failure, which could ruin your belongings and/or furnishings in the basement.
If you have a remodeled basement, a man cave, or a home gym down there, a flood can be heartbreaking.
If you’re looking for a Kansas City plumber, contact A-1 Sewer & Septic Service Inc. today!
