One of the best things you can do for your home ahead of winter is winterizing your plumbing system. Frozen pipes are a problem you never want to deal with. Aside from the inconvenience of not being able to access water, you also risk pipes bursting as the frozen water expands. Luckily, it’s something you can prevent entirely.
You just need the help of an expert plumber in Okotoks, AB. No matter what your plumbing needs, from help winterizing your home to addressing frozen pipes if they do happen, we are here to help. You can keep reading for tips on winterizing your home’s plumbing system to prevent frozen pipes as temperatures drop.
Turn Off Outdoor Faucets
If it is possible to cut the water supply to your outdoor faucets, we encourage you to do so. When there is not any water in the pipes leading outside of your home, then your pipes stand less of a chance of freezing as temperatures drop. Keep in mind that after you turn off the water supply, you do want to turn those faucets on to allow any remaining water in the line to drain out.
Invest in Insulation
You can also invest in insulation, especially for those outdoor faucets that are exposed to freezing temperatures. You can purchase faucet covers for outdoor fixtures from a local hardware store and place them yourself. If you want more serious insulation, you can give our team a call.
For example, if your home is built off of the ground, and you have pipes that run underneath your house, those may need added insulation. You don’t want to be crawling around in your home and attempting any DIY insulation projects. Instead, leave it to our team of experts to help you out.
Maintain Heat Indoors
This may seem obvious, but you do want to maintain your heat inside. There are many homeowners who turn the heat off if they are away from home for an extended period of time. This makes sense because you don’t want to spend a lot of money heating your home if it is going to sit empty for days or weeks at a time.
But don’t set your thermostat too low or turn it off completely. We encourage you to maintain a heating temperature of at least 55° even if you are away. This means that instead of turning off your heater completely, you should set the thermostat lower so that heat still operates to keep your home somewhat warm. Doing this is a great way to keep the pipes inside of your home warm enough that they will not freeze as temperatures drop outside.
Drip Faucets
You can also drip faucets to keep water moving through the pipes. This makes it less likely that the water in your pipes will burst. You don’t have to drip faucets all the time, only when temperatures are dropping below freezing, and there’s a risk of frozen pipes. If you’re not sure when to drip your faucets or are concerned that this wastes water, you can give our team a call, and we can offer you tips for this and other ways to protect your plumbing during the winter season.
Contact Ace Plumbing and Heating today to schedule an appointment for your plumbing and HVAC needs. Happy Today or You Don’t Pay!