How to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing

When Old Man Winter is knocking at your door, and the north wind is biting at your nose, it is clearly NOT the time you want to have to figure out how to winterize your home’s plumbing. Frozen pipes can cause not only inconvenience, but actual damage as the ice forming inside them can cause leaks and breaks. Here’s a quick look at how to winterize your home’s plumbing to prevent these problems for a lower-stress winter.

Steps to Winterize Your Home’s Plumbing

1. Start with an assessment. Generally speaking, you should  be concerned about pipes found in crawl spaces, exterior walls and attics that have not been properly insulated. If you’ve had specific sections of pipe that have frozen in the past,you might expect trouble in the future. Take steps to reduce the risk of freezing-in these sections of pipe.
2. Look at the available products and services. Did you know plumbers can often re-route your piping to get it out of these problem areas? You can also look at adding heat tape, which heats up when the temperature reaches a particular temperature, but requires regular inspection. Adding foam or fiberglass insulation not only protects from freezing, it  keeps your hot water hot all the way to the faucet.
3. Consider drastic measures in deep freezes. Knowing what to do when the weather is frigid helps prevent freezes. Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air to circulate. Drip your faucets to keep the water moving.
4. Minimize the damage if your pipes do freeze. Opening your faucets allow room for the ice to expand thus preventing cracked pipes. Warm the pipes slowly, to  gradually minimize the risk of damage from quick-t thawing the ice in the pipes. It’s important to shut off your water heater to prevent damage if it runs dry.

By taking a little time now to winterize the pipes in your home, you can rest assured that frozen, broken pipes can be a thing of the past. If you’re too busy, or aren’t quite sure which products to apply where, Terry’s Plumbing is here to help. Our expert plumbers will  inspect your home’s plumbing system and come up with a solid plan of action to winterize your pipes. Please feel free to contact us today to get started.

Give us a call. You won’t be disappointed!

When in doubt, give us a call at Terry’s Plumbing! As your reputable plumber in Pittsburgh, we can help you with your plumbing-related issues. Call today at 412-364-9114.