Temperatures are dropping every day here in Havertown and Springfield, PA, and that means winter will be on its way soon. And among the biggest dangers to your home in the winter is the possibility of frozen pipes. Water expands when it freezes, which puts a huge amount of strain on the sides of your pipes. If they burst, you could find yourself with a huge – and expensive – mess on your hands. Our trained plumbers are standing by to deal with burst pipes, but we believe that preventing the problem is much better than fixing it. You can stop frozen pipes before they start by applying a few judicious techniques.
Drain and Coil
This mainly applies to outdoor portions of your plumbing, such as the sprinkler system or the water to your garden hose. Shut off the water to your entire system, then turn all the outdoor systems on to drain the remainder of the water from the pipes. Afterwards, don’t use the pipes again until the spring. Similarly, drain your garden hose, then coil it up and put it away. You don’t need it and leaving water in it is asking for trouble.
A Little Trickle Saves a Lot of Money
Flowing water helps prevent freezing pipes, and you should get into the habit of leaving a little trickle of water on in all of your outlets in the home. It wastes a little water, but as a preventative measure, it could save you a great deal more in stable pipes.
Try Insulation
A good plumber can insulate the pipes in your home to keep them from freezing. In particular, insulate pipes that run through an outside wall, or through similar parts of the house that might be a great deal colder than other parts of the house.
Whether you’re preventing frozen pipes or treating them, trust WM Henderson, Inc. to do the job right!