Harsh weather conditions can impact your home’s plumbing system, especially in the winter. With the winter season slowly approaching and temperatures dropping, it’s important to prepare your home’s plumbing system for the harsher weather conditions so no significant issues arise.
How Does Cooler Weather Affect Your Home’s Plumbing System?
With dropping temperatures, pipes and drains can become frozen, and water heaters are being used more since the demand for hot water is rising. Plus, with the holiday season approaching, drains can become clogged when hosting friends or family for bigger meals in your home.
Ensuring Your Plumbing System is Working Properly
Before the winter season begins, it’s important to ensure your plumbing system works properly. Getting a plumbing inspection can be helpful in this case, as a professional plumber will know what minor problems to look for that need to be corrected and make any repairs that will help your whole plumbing system stay functioning at its best over the winter season.
You can take some precautionary steps yourself, too. These steps would include:
Winterize Outdoor Hoses: To do this, remove the hose from the fixture, drain it, and store it away. Once you’ve done this, turn off the valve on the water line that serves the spigot.
Be Diligent About Garbage Disposal: When hosting, be aware of what is being put into the sink so the garbage disposal does not become damaged and clogs do not become an issue. Bones, oils, and grease from gats should never be put down the drain. If you are dealing with hot grease or oil, let it cool in the pan before dumping it in the trash and then rinsing it in the sink. Be sure that plates are cleared before being placed in the dishwasher, as well.
Install Water Heater Blanket: A water heater blanket will prevent energy loss, which is especially important as the need for hot water in the home increases.
Remove Debris From Outdoor Drains: You want to ensure the drains are not clogged as rain and melted snow make their way to your outdoor drains. Removing debris regularly will ensure that no clogs form.
Dribble Water on Extremely Cold Nights: To keep water flowing and prevent freezing, it’s recommended to dribble water during freezing winter nights.
Keep Trash Can in Bathroom: Sometimes, this can be overlooked, especially if you don’t host at your home often. However, it’s important as you have different friends or family visit your home. This will guarantee that nothing is getting flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be.
Problems that Can Occur When Weather Affects Your Plumbing
While you have taken the steps above to prevent issues that might arise, problems could still happen, and these are the most common you will see during this time of year:
Frozen Pipes: You will notice this immediately if you turn on the faucet and no water comes out. You will want these thawed out right away before the pipe bursts.
Clogged Drains: As much as you might try, it’s still possible to run into a clogged drain, and you will notice this when the water starts to back up.
Poor Water Heater Function: As your water heater works harder, there is a chance that it can start to function poorly. When you notice it takes a lot longer for your water to heat up, it might be time to get the water heater inspected.