One of the worst things about winter is having various things freeze on you that you’d really rather had stayed thawed. Pipes, for example. Ice may be a perfectly lovely thing out on a lake, where you can go skating. In your plumbing system, not so much. Frozen pipes can cause quite a bit of damage to your plumbing system, leading to pipe replacement and other expensive remediation services. If you want to avoid the cost and headache of dealing with those kinds of issues, read on to find out how to prevent frozen pipes over the next few months.
Drain The Water From Them
When we say that pipes “freeze,” we don’t actually mean the pipes themselves. The water inside is what freezes and expands, putting a lot of pressure on the pipe that it wasn’t meant to handle. This prevents the pipe from being used, obviously. But, it also can eventually cause the pipe to crack or rupture. A ruptured pipe can cause a massive amount of water damage to the area around it, which is why it’s a good idea to prevent it from happening in the first place. The first thing you should do to prevent your pipes from freezing is to drain water from pipes you don’t need.
You’re probably not going to be watering your lawn too much over the winter. So, turn off the water to any outdoor faucets or similar terminals that you know you aren’t going to need. Once the water has been turned off, open the faucets for all of them to make sure that any water already inside the system is drained. This will make sure that there is not enough water in the pipes to cause any serious damage if it freezes over.
Insulate The Pipes if You Have to
Most of the pipes that you use throughout the winter are located inside your home, where they’re heated and insulated by the walls. However, there are some cases where a pipe you use all the time may not be properly insulated. One of the most common areas like this is the piping under the sink. You obviously can’t drain these and leave them alone all winter. So, what do you do? You insulate them yourself.
There are a number of different ways that you can go about insulating pipes in your home that need it. The simplest way is to just buy some insulation sleeves from the hardware store. If this isn’t an option, though, don’t worry. You can also secure some old towels around the exposed piping to accomplish more or less the same effect. It may not be as pretty, but it can go a long way towards preventing the damage that a frozen pipe could cause.
SPS Mechanical Inc. offers a full range of plumbing services throughout Turnersville, NJ. If you need help preparing your home’s plumbing system for winter, or need any other kind of plumbing service, we can help you out. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
