Prepare Plumbing for Winter

Though we have been blessed with an Indian summer in Michigan as of late, we should still be vigilant and prepared because despite these mild temperatures winter will be coming to the “mitten.”  On this blog we have discussed how to switch from cooling to heating as well as the importance of a furnace inspection.  Now we will talk about how to get the plumbing in your home ready for winter.

As you may know, water pipes can freeze and subsequently burst when they get too cold in the winter.  This has the potential to cause lots of costly damage to your home.  So, how do we make sure this does not happen?  It’s pretty simple, just follow these easy steps.

Keep Water Pipes Warm-the most important thing is to not give the water in the pipes an opportunity to freeze.  Water pipes located inside the home are generally not in danger of freezing as long as the indoor temperature does not drop too far down. If you have pipes outside or in non heated areas such as the attic, a good idea would be to see if the water pipes could be redirected so they run in heated areas.  This may not always be feasible, so another option would be to insulate these outdoor pipes or pipes in non heated areas.  Insulation can be found at hardware stores, plumbing supply stores or from professional companies, such as FLAME.  The more insulation, the better.  If you are lucky enough to have pipes located inside, check walls for cracks and holes that could let cold air in around these pipes and make sure to seal these holes.

Keep Water Flowing-Burst pipes occur from a build-up of water pressure due to frozen sections of a pipe.  Therefore, if there is just a little flow of water the pressure will be relieved.  It only needs to be a little drip, and should only be done for pipes that are outside or in non heated areas so as to not unnecessarily waste water.

Most of this information was found at “Preventing Frozen Pipes” (The Weather Channel), but if you are interested in learning more or having your pipes insulated, please contact FLAME!  If you do have a problem with a burst pipe, immediately call a professional plumber to help.