4 Pro Tips To Avoid Plumbing Issues This Winter
Winter starts in a few weeks. While winter comes with the fantastic holiday season, it is also the time of the year when homeowners are likely to deal with serious plumbing issues. The low temperatures are hard on your plumbing pipes because as water freezes, it expands.
The influx of people in homes during the holiday season also places extra pressure on the water supply and drainage system in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and other parts of the house. Here are the four professional tips that will help you avoid most of the winter plumbing problems.
Leave a Faucet On
One of the most significant complications that happen during the winter is burst plumbing pipes. Once the temperatures drop below the freezing point, you expect the water inside the pipe to freeze. Moreover, the pressure between the closed faucet and frozen water will impact the pipe.
The best solution to this problem is keeping a faucet dripping, especially those with a pipe running along the home's exterior. Leaving the faucet open allows water to flow efficiently, and this helps minimize the chances of freezing. You are minimizing the possibility that negative pressure will develop between the forming ice and the faucet. This might seem a simple act, but it prevents water damage and chances of burst pipes.
Insulate Your Pipes
Pipes are part of your plumbing system that is more vulnerable to the low temperatures in the basement, along the exterior walls and outside the home. When the temperatures happen to drop below zero, the pipes are likely to suffer or develop issues if they aren't insulated. If you want to ensure that water doesn't freeze inside these pipes, get a plumber to help you insulate the pipes. You can ask them to help you assess the pipes in all the unheated areas in your home and recommend the best way to insulate them to avoid expansion and bursting.
Open the Kitchen Cabinets
Most of the plumbing is hidden behind structures such as the kitchen cabinets. When you open the cabinets, you invite the warm air from inside the house to flow near the plumbing system. Warm air minimizes the possibility of the water freezing and the pipes bursting.
Fix Any Existing Leaks
When a leak happens in winter and the water freezes, it expands. Winter leaks cause more significant damages to the walls than at other times. Fixing them on time minimizes the plumbing problems that occur, especially during the cold season.
Calling in a plumber to make the small changes will minimize the damage your plumbing system might suffer in the winter. It will also protect your home from water damage. Reach out to a plumbing service like Du-West Foundation Repair for assistance.
