Prepare Your Home With a Fall Plumbing Inspection
AVOID PROBLEMS – SAVE MONEY – SAVE TIME – PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
As summer draws to a close, it’s important to make sure your home is prepared for the cold winter months ahead. Preparing your home can help prevent broken or frozen pipes, and save you money down the road.
Although your plumbing equipment and plumbing appliances may seem to be “working fine,” it’s worth a plumbing inspection just to make sure. Fall weather can take its toll on your equipment and when winter rolls around, your plumbing may not be ready. Taking simple steps to prepare your home can help you avoid costly winter plumbing problems.
Outdoor Water: The first step to winterizing your home is to locate your main water shutoff and turn off the water to the outside. Water can easily cause damage when left to sit in pipes that are susceptible to freezing temperatures. When the water freezes, it expands and pipes can burst due to the added pressure.
Hose Bibs: Some outside hose bibs don’t need to be winterized. Before the first freezing temperatures, you’ll want to determine if the outside hose bibs need to be winterized. To winterize, first remove the garden hose and completely drain all of the water from the hose. Outdoor hoses should be drained, cleaned and stored indoors if possible.
Inspect your hose bib for any leaks or drips. These leaks and drips can lead to potential damage if the water freezes. A dry faucet is critical to avoiding damage. Installing a frost-free outdoor faucet is a way to provide an additional layer of protection during the coldest winter days.
Pier Lines: For water front properties, don’t forget to check pier lines in addition to the hose bibs attached to the outside of your home.
Sprinkler Systems: Finally, if you have a sprinkler system outdoors, be sure to get the system blown out (drained) before freezing temperatures arrive.
Avoid Frozen Pipes: Determine if you have pipes that are located in areas such as unheated crawl spaces or basements. You may want to insulate these pipes to prevent frozen or bursting pipes.
A great way to ensure your pipes don’t freeze is to check the foundation of your home around pipes to make sure there aren’t any cracks or gaps that would allow cold air to pass over the pipes. This helps keep the water a safe temperature, and prevent broken or cracked pipes down the road.
Gutter Cleaning: Clogged gutters can fill with water. When the water freezes, it expands an may cause damage to your gutters and your home. To prevent foundation leaks, check that all downspouts drain water away from your home.
Water Heater: If your water heater is in an unconditioned (not heated) space, insulate the appliance to prevent freezing. It’s also a good time to replace older units. The average water heater lasts 10-12 years. To prevent problems, flush and drain your water heater annually. Turning up the temperature to above 125 degrees will guarantee warm water.
Have a Plumber Inspect Your House!
A licensed plumber from Hague Quality Water of Maryland will know where the most plumbing problems occur in a home during the winter. A routine plumbing inspection doesn’t take long, and you’ll received tips on how to keep your best maintain your plumbing fixtures all year long.
Don’t Procrastinate!
Waiting to complete any of these tasks can create quite a headache, for you and your wallet, down the road. Prepare for the cold early, before you run into any problems.
If problems with your plumbing do occur, or for advice or help answering questions on preparing your plumbing for the cold, call the experienced professionals at Hague Quality Water of Maryland.
For a complete plumbing inspection, schedule an appointment with a Hague water expert today!