Winter is here. And you know how finicky the weather can be in Northwest Indiana. One day it’s freezing the next day its 60 degrees. This can be very damaging to your plumbing if the proper preventative steps aren’t taken. Jack Hines, owner of Hines Plumbing, Inc has a list of things to do to prevent possible harm to your plumbing when the temperatures drop.
1. Disconnect hoses from outside spigots – Hoses will freeze and break if they aren’t disconnected. And they will break both outside and inside in your basement or crawl space. This can cause flooding in the area that it is connected in. What happens is the frost draws up the hose all the way to the house and then it breaks. The hose bibs are frost protected but they only work if you disconnect the hose.
2. Have irrigation lines blown out before winter – When water freezes, it expands. That isn’t the case with the pipes that hold the water. So if the underground pipes aren’t taken care of they will burst. Have them blown out with pressurized air to make sure that as much water gets out of the pipes as possible.
3. Leave cabinets that house water pipes open - On colder days, if you live in an older house, leaving the lower cabinet doors open will let the heat from the room get around the pipes. Most kitchen and bathroom sinks are on the outside wall, and the wall gets cold. This was common practice way back when for older houses, but now it wouldn’t be up to code.
4. Take care of your water heater – if it’s in an unheated area make sure that the pipes are insulated. But be careful as certain insulators are fire hazards. Consult a licensed plumber before taking on this task yourself. Or just have your plumber take care of it.
5. Be wary of snow – Check to make sure that fallen snow is not restricting water drainage around the outside of your home. Watch the area around your sump pump discharge line as this line usually drains from basements to outside areas. If the drainage area is blocked by snow or it is flowing into a puddle, water could back-up into your house and freezing could occur as well.
6. Watch your water pressure to avoid frozen pipes – the first sign of a freezing pipe is restricted water flow. When you see this call a licensed plumber immediately.
7. Make sure overhead garage doors are shut. If you have a bathroom above your garage the pipes could freeze and burst.
8. If you have frozen pipes, turn up your heat in your home. It may take a while to thaw but doing it slowly is best.
9. Let your faucets run at a trickle. This will help to prevent pipes from freezing.
10. Turn up your heat. Keep it at at least 68 degrees.
And if you have any plumbing questions or concerns, call Hines Plumbing, Inc. today, visit their website, find them on Facebook, or send in your questions to the Hines Plumbing column “Ask Jack”. Be sure to visit the Hines Plumbing, Inc. Partner Profile on ValpoLife.com!