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How do you feel in regards to How to Prevent Frozen Pipes?

All property owners who live in warm climates have to do their best to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can mean catastrophe like icy, broken, or burst pipelines.

 

Switch on the Faucets

When the temperature drops as well as it seems as if the icy temperature level will last, it will aid to turn on your water both inside your home as well as outdoors. This will certainly maintain the water streaming via your plumbing systems. In addition, the activity will certainly slow down the cold procedure. Significantly, there's no need to turn it on full blast. You'll end up throwing away gallons of water this way. Rather, aim for concerning 5 drops per min.

 

Open Cupboard Doors Hiding Plumbing

When it's cold outside, it would be useful to open closet doors that are concealing your pipes. Doing this small technique can maintain your pipes cozy and restrict the potentially unsafe outcomes of freezing temperature levels.

 

Take Some Time to Wrap Exposed Water Lines

One simple and nifty hack to heat up frigid pipelines is to cover them with warm towels. You can cover them initially with towels. After safeguarding them in place, you can pour boiling water on the towels. Do it gradually to allow the towels soak up the fluid. You can additionally make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, just don't fail to remember to use protective gloves to safeguard your hands from the heat.

 

Attempt a Hair Dryer or Heat Weapon

When your pipes are virtually freezing, your reliable hair dryer or warm gun is a godsend. Bowling hot air straight right into them might help if the warm towels do not aid remove any kind of working out ice in your pipelines. However, do not use other items that create straight fires like a blow torch. This can cause a larger calamity that you can not manage. You may wind up damaging your pipes while trying to melt the ice. And also in the long run, you might also wind up melting your residence. Be careful!

 

Shut Off Water When Pipelines are Frozen

Switch off the major water valve instantly if you discover that your pipes are completely icy or practically nearing that phase. You will typically discover this in your cellar or laundry room near the heating unit or the front wall surface closest to the street. Turn it off today to avoid more damage.
Don't neglect to shut exterior water resources, as well, such as your hookup for the garden home. Doing this will avoid extra water from filling your plumbing system. With even more water, more ice will load up, which will at some point lead to rupture pipes. It is best to call an expert plumber for an evaluation if you are unsure concerning the state of your pipelines this winter season. Taking this proactive approach can conserve you countless dollars in repairs.
All house owners who live in pleasant climates need to do their finest to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can mean catastrophe like icy, fractured, or ruptured pipelines. If the warm towels do not help remove any type of working out ice in your pipelines, bowling warm air directly into them might help. Transform off the main water valve promptly if you discover that your pipes are completely icy or virtually nearing that stage. With even more water, more ice will stack up, which will ultimately lead to burst pipelines.

 

Planning Ahead for Winter Plumbing!

 

Given how the weather has been recently here in Kansas City, it may not seem like it, but the truth is winter is quickly approaching. As we near the end of September, it is never a bad idea to start considering which areas of your home could use some preventative maintenance heading into the colder months, as well as what you should remember to do once the colder temps settle in. And considering your plumbing system can certainly be impacted by changing weather conditions, guess what we’ll be talking about today?

For those that are visiting our blog for the very first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Here on the blog, we post weekly about various aspects of the plumbing world. Whether that be DIY tips, brand highlights or anything else, they’re all designed to make homeowners more knowledgeable about their plumbing systems. Believe it or not, even just some general knowledge about one’s plumbing can go a long way in preventing unneeded repairs and keeping everything running smoothly. As referenced in the previous paragraph, this week’s blog will walk through a few of the steps you can do to your own plumbing system to ensure you’re ready to go for the upcoming winter weather and tips for keeping it all in working order as the winter carries on. Let’s hop right in!

 

Disconnect Hoses

 

You’ve likely heard this one on multiple occasions, but it is certainly something worth mentioning. Make sure to disconnect any and all outdoor hoses and then turn off those outdoor faucets at the shut-off. The logic behind this is probably something you would have learned in a grade school science class. When water freezes, it expands. Thus, due to this, it’s going to occupy more space. And if there’s no space to occupy, trouble ensues. It’s as simple as that!

Long story short, if you have room to store them indoors, do so. If not, just be sure to completely drain them and then store them in a dry area, such as the garage or a shed. Failure to disconnect the hoses can easily result in frozen/bursting pipes and plumbing headaches for you, especially if there is still water sitting in the hose! Do yourself a favor and disconnect your hoses once you know you won’t be using them anymore for that season. It’s a quick-and-easy step that’s always worth the time.

 

Headed Out of Town?

 

Our next point will likely get more and more relevant as we get into the holiday season. Do you remember the extreme arctic blast that hit the Kansas City area in February of 2021? Sub-zero temps, frigid wind chills, it was definitely not the funnest of times for KC residents. Nonetheless, here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, it’s safe to say our technicians were quite busy dealing with frozen/bursting pipes. What I’m hinting at here is that you never know when we’ll experience extremely cold temperatures. So if you’re going to be out of town for a little bit, it’s never a bad idea to turn off your water at the main shut-off valve. While this won’t prevent every possible plumbing issue, it will at least limit the damage if something bad were to occur. Especially if you don’t have a family member or friend that’ll be checking on your home while you’re away, make sure to keep this tip in mind!

By the way, it may sound like a no-brainer to most, but if you are headed out of town, make sure to also keep the heat on inside while away. You will have some added energy costs from heating a home while nobody’s there, but if it prevents you from dealing with a plumbing emergency, it’s well worth it!

 

Leave Cabinet Doors Open

 

As you may start to notice, the primary winter plumbing problem that you need to be mindful of involves pipes freezing. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, they can freeze for a few different reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of various tactics you can implement to improve your odds of keeping everything in working order. Yet another one of these that you’ve likely heard before is leaving the cabinet doors under your bathroom or kitchen sink open. Will this provide complete protection? Not necessarily. However, this is an easy way to make sure some of the heat in your home is reaching those pipes that aren’t insulated under your sinks.

https://www.stinenichols.com/kansas-city/planning-ahead-for-winter-plumbing/

 

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