Winter can be a challenging time of year for homeowners, especially if they don’t prepare their home for the oncoming cold weather. One of the biggest challenges homeowners face during the winter months is freezing pipes. Freezing temperatures creates the potential for frozen pipes, and that often means a complicated, expensive repair job. A burst water pipe puts your home’s plumbing out of commission and may cause extensive water or structural damage. By winterizing your pipes in preparation for freezing temperatures, you’ll save yourself time, money, and future headaches. Implement some of these tips to ensure your home’s plumbing stays in good working order throughout the changing seasons.

Disconnect Garden Hoses
If you have any water hoses outside, you will want to make sure they are disconnected. For those who have an indoor shutoff inside of their home, make sure the faucet is turned off. Once the water supply is shut off, turn the faucet on to drain the lines of any remaining water.

Check Your Sprinkler System

If you have sprinklers in ground, you will want to make sure they are empty of water before winter as well, so simply turn off the water supply valve and run the sprinklers to empty the lines.

Let Water Drip

Leave a little water running overnight and maintain a small drip. Flowing water is far less likely to freeze than standing water, so allowing a small, consistent drip will decrease your chances of a frozen pipe.
Insulate Your Pipes

Wrap all of your outside pipes in insulation. You can purchase pipe insulation in a variety of sizes to help fit your pipes. Once you have the insulation in place, you can use an insulating tape to help keep the insulation in place.

Go around your home and look for any pipes that enter into your home. As you look under cabinets, seal around the pipes with a caulking or foam to maintain the heat and seal off the cold from outside. Pipes that are on a wall facing the outside will need to be covered as well. Electrical heating tape and insulation are great means for protecting your pipes from the cold winter elements.

Open Cabinet Doors

When it comes to cupboards, those pipes that are underneath can get heat from leaving the cupboards open to let the warm air come into the area. When you combine opening all your cabinet doors and padding your pipes with insulation, your chances of a frozen pipe lessen.

Prepare for Vacation

If you’re planning a winter vacation, take extra precaution to prepare your home for the cold months ahead. Shut down your main water supply coming into your home and empty your water lines by allowing all of the water to drain from the faucets. This way, you will safeguard your pipes from freezing when they’re not in use for extended periods of time.

Take the Extra Time for Preparation

If you dedicate time to insulating your pipes before Winter, you will have more peace of mind. Don’t assume your pipes are going to be fine, but instead, take precautions ahead of time to ensure they are. You never know what life may throw your way, but now, you can ensure you are protected from harsh temperature changes during the winter months. Come Spring, you’ll be glad you did so.

Aramendia Plumbing, Heating & Air is a plumbing company in Dallas, TX specializing in plumbing maintenance and repair, HVAC services, and water heater installation and replacement.