4 Tips for Winterizing Your Plumbing and Pipes This Winter
When it comes to home ownership, its important to understand that there are a number of different responsibilities that you must undertake in order to keep your home, and all its appliances and systems running at peak performance. And while some areas might be obvious and highly visible, like needing to cut the grass and trim the hedges to prevent overgrowth, certain other areas are far less easy to see and require homeowners to pay a lot closer attention to things. And one of the most important areas for such issues is your plumbing and pipe system. According to the team at Elite Plumbing & HVAC, known to provide the best plumbing services Suffolk County has to offer, one of the biggest issues’ homeowners must deal with when it comes to their plumbing is dealing with things in the winter months, especially being in New York City and Long Island. The fact is that New York is known for its extremely hot and humid summer months, and its icy, frigid winter months, and as a result, without proper care during the winters on Long Island, as temperatures dip below freezing, and icy begins to take hold, it can often lead to burst pipes. And when it comes to home winterproofing Shirley residents must be extremely vigilant and make sure they properly care for their plumbing and piping systems, ensuring things don’t get damaged, as it can lead to terrible issues that may require you to completely renovate your home plumbing system, and cost tens of thousands of dollars – a cost no homeowners wants to undertake, when a few helpful tips can help you to avoid it. Therefore, in this article, we will be exploring a few important tips for winterizing and winterproofing your plumbing system.
· Pipe Insulation
Known for the best plumbing services Suffolk County has to offer, the team at Elite Plumbing & HVAC often advise Long Island based homeowners to ensure that they properly winterize and insulate their piping system, before the winter months come around – as it can lead to thousands upon thousands in unwanted damages, that no one really wants to have to deal with. Your pipes are more susceptible to freezing damage when temperatures drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Pipe insulation provides your first line of defense against cold temperatures and frozen pipes. If you live in an area where these winter temperatures are the norm, take extra caution when adding pipe insulation. For example, in Denver, the average low temperature is 23 degrees Fahrenheit beginning in November, and temperatures can drop into the teens in the months that follow. For pipe winterization, add a thicker layer of insulation around your pipes. Insulate the pipes in all unheated areas, as they are most likely to freeze. A hardware or plumbing supply store should have the insulation and tools you need. Wrap the pipes in insulation tubes made of polyethylene or fiberglass. Measure the outside diameter of your pipes to make sure you purchase the correct size of tube.
· Dripping Faucets Can be a Good Thing!
Generally, when we see a drippy faucet, our brain tells us to stop the drip and tighten it immediately. And while an unwanted drip is never good, when it comes to home winterproofing Shirley residents can purposely create a drip in their faucets to prevent the build up of unwanted water pressure. On nights when the temperature is expected to drop below freezing, turn on faucets along the exterior walls to create a small, steady drip. This eliminates pressure that can build between the faucet and an ice blockage, so even if a pipe freezes, it may not burst.
· Keep Cabinets Open
Often, when it comes to kitchen and bathroom pipes, they are often kept behind or within cabinets and cupboards. In such a case, during the cold winter days and nights, they may be in an area in which they will only get colder and colder, and as they get colder, they have a much higher chance of freezing. You can stop frozen pipes by introducing more heat. Open all sink-based cabinet doors along exterior walls to allow more heat to reach the pipes.
· Fixing Exterior Cracks
According to the team at Elite Plumbing, when it comes to home winterproofing Shirley residents need to understand that cracks in the walls or foundation of their homes can be a source of cold air reaching their piping systems. Known to provide the best plumbing services Suffolk County has to offer, the team at Elite recommend filling any cracks or holes with some form of foam insulation, and caulking – as this can help prevent any cold air from the outside reaching the water pipes, especially when temperatures dip well below freezing during the night.
For more information on all there is to know about winterproofing or to schedule a plumbing appointment, be sure to contact Elite Plumbing & HVAC today.
