Winter Pipe Maintenance Tips
When the temperature takes a nose dive, water in your pipes can freeze, causing them to burst. Resulting damages can be costly and inconvenient. But it doesn’t have to happen if you follow these simple precautions.
Wrap exposed pipes with insulating material. Pipes under kitchen sinks and in crawl spaces, near windows or in unheated basements are prime areas for pipes to freeze.
Locate your water shut-off valve now! If pipes burst during freezing conditions, you can save valuable time and prevent water damage if you can turn the water off inside the house. The shut-off valve may be located in the basement, under the kitchen sink, in a utility closet, near the hot water heater, or even under the house in the crawl space. If you cannot locate or do not have a shut-off valve, call your plumber.
If you think you’ve found it, to be sure it’s the right one, try turning it off now. If all your faucets are without water, you’ve found the right one. If not, try again.
Cover outside crawlspace vents to prevent winter winds from entering and freezing pipes.
Keep the garage door closed if your house has a slab foundation. Water pipes are often located under the concrete floors of the garage.
Keep the water running, especially if you’ve had problems with frozen pipes in the past. Try running a small steady stream of water from a cold water faucet in extremely cold weather. The cost of the water is small compared to dealing with the cost and inconvenience of frozen or burst pipes. Make sure you run the water from a faucet children don’t use, because they may inadvertently shut off the faucet after using it.
Leak Detection Tips
Small undetected water leaks in your home can quickly add up! To find out if you have a leak, you may want to start with your toilet. Check by putting ten drops of food coloring in the tank (red or green are the best) and let it sit overnight without flushing. If the food coloring shows up in the bowl, you have a leak that needs to be repaired.
Also check your dishwasher and clothes washer for drips or stains underneath or behind the appliances. Replace worn gaskets and washers on indoor and outdoor faucets and check your sprinkler system for damaged sprinkler system heads and system leaks.