Preparing your pipes for the winter

10/2/2017 (Permalink)

As we roll into the month of October we are getting closer to winter home owners will start to prepare for the cold weather. One of the main cause of loss during the winter season is pipe bursting. Even after the weather starts warming up home owners will find out they have a pipe leak from crack pipes caused by the cold weather.

Tips for Preparing Your Pipes for Winter Weather:

• Keep cabinet doors open during cold spells. This allows warm air to circulate around pipes.
• Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets, especially if the pipes for faucets run through unheated or uninstalled areas of your home.
• Consider shutting off outdoor faucets.
• Faucet covers are ideal for the outdoor faucets.
• Keep the temperature set to the same both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may get  a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F..

FROZEN PIPES - - A frozen pipe can burst at the point where the ice blockage inside the pipe is located, but typically the rupture is caused by the backflow pressure between the water source and the blockage. A burst pipe can cause considerable damage to your property if not addressed quickly.