There are some tips you can use to winterize your pipes and avoid serious damage to your home.
Here in Maryland, the weather has gotten cold in a hurry—especially at night. As temperatures begin their descent into the chill of winter, it’s a good time to start thinking about how you can prepare and protect your pipes from damage or freezing that leads to a burst pipe. Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take to winterize your pipes and protect your home and plumbing throughout the coldest months of the year.
Insulate Pipes
One of the best ways to protect your pipes is to insulate them throughout the cold winter months. You can take a trip down to your local hardware store and purchase insulation tubes for your pipes, which will help to keep them warmer and prevent freezing. Make sure to purchase enough for all of your pipes, so your whole plumbing system is protected. If you’ve had a pipe freeze before, that one might be in a more vulnerable spot in your home—wrap it with heat tape before putting on the insulation tube for some extra protection.
Drip Faucets
Dripping the faucet is a common practice, but not everyone knows how much it helps. In the really cold months, keep an eye on the weather. If temperatures are expected to dip into the single digits overnight, be sure to drip all of your faucets before you head off to bed. This doesn’t always prevent a pipe from freezing, but it releases the pressure in the pipe, which keeps it from bursting even if it does happen to freeze during the night.
Open Cabinets
Another great way to protect your pipes, especially as you head off to bed on bitterly cold nights, is to open your cabinet doors that are hiding pipes. By opening the cabinet, you let in the heat from the home and keep the pipes warmer. This is a simple method that can keep your pipes from freezing.
Store Outdoor Hose
Don’t leave your outdoor hose hooked up and left outside all winter long. As the weather begins to chill, make sure to remove the hose from the nozzle, drain it of any remaining water, and store it over the winter to keep it from freezing or becoming damaged.
Call Mahon Plumbing Today
If you still have more questions regarding your plumbing, we here at Mahon Plumbing are here to help. We have been serving the wider Baltimore area since 1994, so we have 25 years of experience to back up our fantastic service! Call us at our Baltimore location at 410-766-8566 or our Pasadena location at 410-636-7944. Be sure to keep up with us on social media by following us on Facebook or Twitter.