The warm spring and summer months are long gone and we are now approaching the cold season. We are already feeling al little bit cold thanks to the chilly fall winds. But this is nothing compared to the cold that will kick in during the winter season. The winter season is hard on everything and everybody. But it’s especially hard on the plumbing system. That is why you should prepare your home plumbing system for the cold winter season. You should actually prepare your home plumbing system before the winter season starts. There are several critical and vulnerable areas that you should focus on. You should mainly focus on all the outdoor sections or components of your home plumbing system. This means that you should prepare all the outdoor water supply pipes, outdoor drainage pipes, and any plumbing fixtures or appliances that are installed outdoors. The following are some of the things that you should do to prepare your home plumbing system for the cold winter season.
Insulate Outdoor Pipes
You should insulate all the outdoor pipes before the cold winter season. This means that you should wrap all the exposed outdoor water supply pipes with heavy fabric or cloth. You can use pipe sleeves to insulate all those outdoor water supply pipes. You should also wrap all the outdoor drainage pipes with pipe sleeves. If you do not insulate your outdoor pipes before the cold season starts, they could end up freezing. This means that the water running in these pipes could freeze due to the extremely low winter temperatures. When the water freezes, it clogs the pipe. And remember that more water is being pumped into the pipes by your water supply company. The contained pressure will become too much thereby causing the pipe to burst. This will lead to costly repairs. Not to mention that it can cut off your water supply. To avoid all these problems, insulate your outdoor pipes before the winter season starts.
Keep The Thermostat On
The indoor pipes are not spared by the harsh winter weather. The indoor pipes can also freeze due to the extremely low temperatures. This usually happens when you turn off your thermostat and leave the house for a long vacation. You might return to find the whole house flooded after the pipes have frozen and burst. That is why you should always leave your thermostat on during the cold winter season. You can set a moderate temperature to avoid energy wastage. The thermostat will maintain a warm environment inside the house and this will ensure that the pipes do not freeze. You should also make a point of turning off the water at the main shutoff valve before leaving on your long vacation.
Insulate The Hot Water Heater
Due to space problems, some people prefer to install their storage tank water heaters just outside the house. This means that the hot water storage tank is left exposed outside. If the tank is not properly insulated during the cold season, then you can suffer massive energy loss. To keep your power bills low during winter, insulate the hot water storage tank with an insulating blanket.
Inspect The Whole Plumbing System
You should also make a point of inspecting the whole plumbing system before winter. Make sure there are no leaking pipes, fixtures, and appliances, and that everything is in excellent condition. You can hire a professional San Diego plumber to help you with the inspection.
