Cold fronts come and go quickly in north Texas, so it’s important to know how to get your plumbing ready for those rapid freezes. If your home isn’t prepared properly for the winter season, you could be facing severe damage and costly repairs when the weather warms back up. A major problem can occur when the temperature drops below freezing as the cold air can cause water in your pipes to freeze and expand. The extensive pressure can lead to the pipes cracking and leaking water either in your walls or your foundation.
Bacon Plumbing Heating Air Electric wants to make sure our neighbors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are protected from any unexpected damage to their homes! That’s why we’ve put together the most crucial tips on how to prepare your home for this upcoming winter season. With the many freezes that our area experiences each winter, it’s time to get ahead of the cold weather.
1. Protect Your Outdoor Plumbing
During the winter, any water that is left in your pipes is prone to freezing and could cause damage to the pipes themselves. To avoid any cracks or bursts, all water that leads to exterior pipes, like hose bibbs or faucets, should be turned off. These pipes are crucial to your home’s plumbing, but they are not completely protected from the insulation and temperature control in your home.
If you are able to turn off the water to your home’s outdoor faucets, you should then open the outdoor valves to drain the remaining water. Draining the water in the exterior pipes of your home includes your hoses and any hose bibb attachments. Once you remove the water from your hose and you close the valve that supplies water to your outdoor plumbing, you can open the outside valve to drain any remaining water.
2. Keep Your Faucets Dripping
Leaking faucets are not usually a good thing, but intentionally dripping faucets could actually save your home from costly damage. Water in your pipes begins to freeze when it remains stagnant for too long, which is why it’s important to protect your outdoor plumbing.
Indoor pipes need attention too, though. To keep your water supply flowing throughout your home and to prevent water from freezing in less insulated areas, you should keep your kitchen and bath faucets, both hot and cold, at a constant drip. Faucets can always be turned off when the weather warms up above freezing.
3. Insulate Exposed Pipes
If you have any exposed pipes, now is the time to insulate them. You might find exposed pipes in your attic, basement, garage, and cabinets. An easy way to protect the pipes in your garage is just to keep your garage door closed in extremely cold weather.
Otherwise, exposed plumbing in your home can be protected with foam pipe insulation or insulation wrapping. It is important to cover all the gaps on your pipes because exposing even a little bit of piping to the harsh winter air can cause your pipes to freeze.
4. Ensure Heating Systems Are Tuned Up
Last but not least, in order for your plumbing to run smoothly at all times, you should have your water heater and HVAC system checked to ensure they can function properly in the winter. Your HVAC system can actually help keep your interior pipes insulated, so a great heating system can make a huge difference in your comfort and also in your home’s protection during the winter.
Water heaters and similar systems need to be tuned up before the winter as well since they are instrumental in keeping your water from freezing. If your water heating system hasn’t been inspected recently, call Bacon for a quick and thorough inspection service.
The expert plumbers at Bacon are always here for any questions or concerns you may have about preparing your home for the winter. Just give us a call and we’ll be happy to help! When it comes to protecting your home, the team at Bacon has the experience to make sure your home is taken care of.
