Knowhow-Now Article

Best Plumbing Tips For The Cold Winter Weather

When winter approaches and the weather gets colder, you have to turn your attention to your home's plumbing. Extremely cold weather can cause a lot of plumbing problems if you are not prepared for it. The most common problem is pipes freezing over and bursting. You cannot stop the weather from turning cold, but you can take measures to protect your pipes. Read this article for some practical advice on how you can avert some of these plumbing problems.

Tip: Pump your septic tank about once every five years, to make sure it is working well. This will keep sediment from building and causing backup into the house, and possibly causing the septic system to fail.

When water freezes it expands. When water freezes inside a pipe, tremendous pressure in built up against the pipe inside. The most vulnerable parts are the joints where pipes connect to each other. As the ice inside expands, it can rupture the pipes at the joints. If this happens at a pipe section that is not conspicuous, you will have a water leak in that goes undetected for a while until you see signs of water where it should not belong. By the time you notice the leak, a lot of damage may have already been done to your home.

Tip: Do not pay your plumber until they finish the job. You might have to put money down initially before the plumber begins the job.

One of the ways that you can prevent water from freezing inside your pipes is by letting a very tiny amount of water drip through your faucets. This keeps the water moving inside your pipes. Water that is still has a higher chance of freezing over than water with movement.

Tip: A strainer positioned over a drain can prevent stoppage by collecting food particles as they try to enter the drain. Anytime there is something caught in your kitchen drain, you should clean it out.

You should drain the water out of your garden hose and store it away. Wrap the pipe that is exposed with some pipe insulation. You should caulk around the area pipe section that leads inside to your home. A certain type of caulk is appropriate for this purpose. If you are not sure about that, consult with the staff at your hardware store.

Tip: If your home has a well for water and there are pink or orange stains in the sinks and tubs, this could be due to high iron content in your water. This is fixed by using water softener, which can be bought at a store, or you can have someone come to your home and fix it.

Keep your house at a temperature of at 56 degrees. When you are inside, no doubt you would want the temperature be warmer than that. However, when you are away, you should adjust your thermostat to keep your house at that temperature. This helps the pipe system inside your walls stay at a temperature that is above freezing.

Tip: Clean your garbage disposal regularly to prolong the life of your disposal. By regularly incorporating a routine using a combination of dish soap, lemon rinds, and even cherry pits, you can keep your disposal running smoothly and smelling as fresh as the day it was installed.

Be very diligent in insulating your pipes. Sections that are behind an outside wall are the most vulnerable. Use insulation material of a proper grade to wrap pipe sections. Secure the insulation to the pipe with some duct tape. This task will take some time for you to do because you want catch every section of piping that is exposed. However, this is worth investing your time in because it will prevent a major problem that can end up costing you very expensive repairs.

Small plumbing problems can grow into bigger ones if you do not take care of them right away. This is something that you should not ignore if you want to prevent pipe leaks. By following some of these tips, you can protect your plumbing from winter damage and avoid costly repairs resulting from pipe bursts. Spend a little effort on prevention, and you will not have to deal with bigger problems.

Comments
Order by: 
Per page:
 
  • There are no comments yet
   Comment Record a video comment
 
 
 
     
Related Articles
“Home sweet home.” Does that describe how you feel about the house or apartment in which you live? Or is your current housing situation simply a place you dwell out of necessity; a place to store your clothes, bathe, eat meals and lay your head at night? If the...
30.05.2014 · From TheAuthor
Homeowners never have to dig deep into their pockets to improve the value of their house. They can make significant improvements on an affordable budget, it just takes a bit of skill and decision-making in deciding which projects are the most equitable to the value of...
30.05.2014 · From TheAuthor
Chandeliers typically bring to mind images of wealth and grandeur. Once reserved for high-end homes, these traditional light fixtures have recently gotten a modern makeover. Mini-chandeliers, a current trend in the decorating industry, capture the grace and elegance...
29.05.2014 · From TheAuthor
The exterior of your home says a lot about your personal style. Whether the architecture of your house is modern and minimal or detailed and extravagant, choosing the right paint colors can accentuate key details while at the same time creating a beautiful backdrop...
28.05.2014 · From TheAuthor
Home improvement projects always start out fun and with a great vision of what will come. Perhaps there is a new child on the way and the parents want to add an extra room to their house or expand then nursery. (...)
27.05.2014 · From TheAuthor
Ads
Article Info
689 Views
0 Subscribers
All Articles by TheAuthor
Sharing Is Good!
Rate
0 votes