How to Prepare Your Pipes for Winter Weather

How to Prepare Your Pipes for Winter Weather

Winter is here, the holiday lights are twinkling and we can finally break out our favorite winter coats. But there's one thing that always spoils the mood: frozen pipes! If you live in a house with old pipes or don't know how to prepare your home for the winter weather, it's possible that your pipes could freeze over and cause major damage to your home. To prevent this from happening, follow these five easy steps:

• Heat tape
• Foam insulation
• Pipe insulation

• Turn on a faucet and let it run slowly. This will prevent the water from freezing up in your pipes and damaging them.
• If you have noticed any water leaks or drips, this might indicate that you have a frozen pipe or line somewhere in your house. You should call a plumber to come out to inspect and fix the problem if you think this is happening.

After you've located the main shutoff valve in your home, it's time to check the rest of your plumbing. Shutoff valves are usually located under sinks or behind toilets. If they're not under sinks or toilets, check basements and crawl spaces. If there is still no sign of shutoff valves, then they must be somewhere else in your home so it may be time to call a plumber.

Outdoor faucets should be covered with a cloth or a towel. If you can't find anything suitable, use a plastic bag to cover the faucet. Leave it dripping so that water doesn't freeze inside the pipe and cause cracks in the line. Make sure both indoor and outdoor faucets are properly covered before winter comes to avoid frozen pipes!

• Covering your outdoor spigots is an easy way to prevent them from freezing during cold weather, which may lead to cracking or bursting pipes. This can cause flooding within your home, so take care of this step as soon as possible!

In addition to opening the basement door, you should also open cabinet doors. If you have an unfinished basement, this will allow heat to circulate around your pipes and prevent them from freezing. If you don't have an unfinished basement, keep the cabinet doors open in rooms where hot air tends to collect (such as the kitchen). If a room is heated by a furnace or wood stove that isn't vented through ducts in floor joists (like some older homes), consider opening up vents so that hot air can flow into other parts of the house.

• Insulate your pipes.
• Locate your shutoff valves.
• Leave your faucets dripping.
• Cover outdoor faucets.

So, there you have it. Five simple steps to prepare your pipes for winter weather. If you still have questions after trying these steps, contact us at (228)-865-ASAP for help!