When the winter months roll around, and cold weather arrives, frozen pipes become an immediate concern for homeowners. However, by taking a few necessary steps, you can ensure that your pipes are ready for the impending winter season.
In the latest blog from Indiana American Water, we’ll discuss some ways to keep your pipes from freezing and ensure that they’re protected during the winter months.
Insulate Your Pipes
For areas of your home that don’t have access to heat, such as the garage, crawl space, or attic, it’s important to ensure that any pipes within those areas are properly insulated. For a relatively low cost, many hardware stores offer insulation tape that can be applied to uninsulated pipes in unheated areas.
While this is a great solution for this winter, it is not a long-term solution. Pipe insulation tape will need to be reapplied the following winter to protect your pipes and to help them stay warm.
Give Your Heating System a Tune-Up
While providing your heating system with maintenance might not initially seem relevant to protecting your plumbing system during the winter, it’s a very important process that should not be overlooked or forgotten. If your heating system breaks down during the winter and stops blowing warm air, your pipes will have a significantly higher chance of freezing and cracking.
By having your heating system maintained, you will drastically reduce the chances of a complete system breakdown.
Look For Cracks in Pipes
Perform an exterior inspection of your home’s pipes to ensure that there are no visible cracks. If there are, contact your local plumbing company to have the pipes further inspected and repaired, if necessary.
Turn Outdoor Faucets Off
Draining and turning off any outdoor faucets is an extremely important step in keeping your pipes safe during the winter weather.
To drain the outdoor faucet, find the spigot’s shutoff valve and turn off the water supply, and then disconnect any hoses and turn the outdoor faucet on to drain it of any remaining water. After the water has stopped flowing out of the spigot, turn the faucet off.
Because the water supply has been turned off and any remaining water has flown out of the spigot, you don’t have to worry about the connecting pipes freezing and bursting.
Contact Us for More Information on How to Prepare Pipes for Winter Weather
Here at Indiana American Water, we’re completely dedicated to providing homes with safe, high-quality water that they can take advantage of all year round. Pipes are a crucial part of delivering water to your home, so it’s important to take all the necessary precautions and steps to ensure they stay safe during the colder months. Contact us today to receive more helpful information and tips about how to prevent frozen pipes.