4 Steps to Winterizing Your Home and Preventing Frozen Pipes
Imagine it’s a snowy, cold Sunday morning in early December. You wake up and walk to your kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. You turn on the faucet and…nothing. There’s no water coming out and you realize the house is fairly cold. Your pipes are probably frozen. What now?
Winter is here and that means snow, holidays, and very cold weather. Don’t let winter freeze your pipes and cause damage. Take some time to winterize your home and prevent frozen pipes from even happening in the first place.
We share four tips below to prevent frozen pipes and two tips to be prepared if something unexpected does happen.
4 Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes
- Outside & Inside Inspection
Walk around the exterior your house and look closely for any cracks that might let cold air in. If the weather has already turned cold, you can look inside your house along the walls and feel for cold air coming in. Especially check around areas you know there are pipes. Think laundry room, kitchen, and bathrooms. If you find any cracks caulk or spray foam to seal them up. Don’t let any cold air sneak into your house. - Inspect Your Crawl Space
Head to your crawl space and make sure it’s properly insulated for winter. Be sure to cover up any vents to the outside and keep the cold air out. If the crawl space feels drafty or cold, consider adding additional insulation. - Outdoor Spigot
Remove all hoses connected to the outside water spigot and drain any water. Drain hoses and store them in the garage for the winter. To prevent the outdoor spigot from freezing, install an outdoor faucet cover to prevent any chance of freezing. - Insulate Pipes As Needed
If you have pipes in a possibly under-insulated area such as basements or attics, you want to consider adding additional insulation to those pipes. Depending on the pipes and their location, you may just need to insulate them with fiberglass sleeves or foam rubber.
2 Tasks to Prepare for the Unexpected
Take just a few minutes to perform these two tasks and feel prepared if something were to happen with your pipes or plumbing this winter. Having this knowledge will help you feel ready for winter.
- Locate Main Water Valve Shut Off
Do you know where the main water valve shut off in your home is located? Does the rest of your family know? If there’s an issue with pipes freezing (or any water issue) anyone living in the house should be able to shut the main water valve off. Show everyone where that valve is and tie a yellow ribbon around it so it can be easily found. - Have a Trusted Plumber Handy
Have a trusted plumber’s information handy. You might even want to take some to research and find a plumber noted for helping freezing pipes. Have their name and number handy. You don’t want to be searching around online during a potential emergency.
Follow all of these steps, so you and your pipes are ready for winter!
One Hour Rooter is your trusted plumber in the metro Minneapolis area. Call us at 612-354-8984 if you need help with frozen pipes or for any plumbing needs.
