There are a lot of challenges that come with the winter season here in Connecticut. Not the least of these challenges is that of protecting your plumbing in West Hartford, CT from the ravages of freezing temperatures. All too often we are called out to homes by panicked homeowners in the winter season, only to find damaged pipes that really could have been avoided with some proper measures taken. Now, there is no way to really guarantee that you won't run into trouble with your pipes, but you can certainly limit the risks.
Following you'll find some tips to help you do just that. Keep them in mind, remember to plan ahead if you are going to be gone for any stretch of time during the winter season, and contact us with any questions that you may have. Burst pipes in the winter are a major headache, and an ounce of prevention sure beats a whole lot of headache any day of the week.
Keep a Trickle of Water Flowing Through the Pipes
On those really, really frigid nights, keeping a trickle of water running through the pipes is a tried and true way in which to protect them. Sure, there are homeowners that are going to balk at "wasting" water in this way, but the fact is that it is not wasting water. You are using water from your plumbing system in a different way than usual, but you are still using it. Paying for the water that you are allowing to trickle through the system and down the drains is a paltry expense compared to that of dealing with replacing burst pipes and the water damage that they lead to.
Insulate Pipes in Unheated Areas
Another simple DIY project for protecting the pipes in your plumbing system is just to insulate them. You can buy long tubes of pipe insulation at most hardware stores, and the foam material is very easy to cut down to size as needed. When pipes pass through very cold, unheated areas, the cold air surrounding them is going to pull heat out of the water in those pipes. This leads to freezing and potentially to bursting, but an insulating barrier between the pipes and the freezing cold air surrounding them can make all the difference in preventing this issue.
Leave Cabinets and Drawers Open
Okay, so this is not exactly going to improve the ambiance or visual aesthetic of your home, but that is a small price to pay for avoiding burst pipes in the winter. If you have pipes passing under sinks and countertops or through cabinetry in your home, open those cabinet doors and drawers up. This allows heated air from the living space to circulate around those pipes more successfully, and that helps to keep the water in those pipes from freezing and pressure from building to the expansion.
Don't let the threat of frozen pipes and emergency plumbing repairs loom over you this winter. Live more comfortably, choose Dynamic Mechanical.