How Do You Ensure Pipes Do Not Burst in Winter?

Now that we’ve entered fall, winter is just around the corner. This is the time that homeowners need to start preparing their homes for winter. One task that should be at the top of the list is doing what you can to ensure that your home’s pipes don’t burst once those frigid winter days and nights arrive. Fortunately, there are several ways that homeowners can prepare their plumbing systems to handle the cold weather that winter brings.

Tips for Preparing Your Pipes for Winter

Before fall turns into winter, you want to have your home’s plumbing, particularly your pipes, ready for the first freeze of the winter season. The following are a few tips that can help ensure your home’s pipes are prepared for winter:

• Insulation – Pipes that are in areas of your home that aren’t well-heated (crawl spaces, garages, attics, et cetera) are in danger of freezing and bursting. That’s why it’s a good idea to run heat cable (a cable that heats up when an electrical current runs through it) along pipes in those areas and wrap those pipes and heat cables in insulation. The insulation will help protect the pipes from the cold and help keep the warmth the heat cable produces close to the pipes. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting.
• Outdoor Faucets – The cold can get into your pipes through your home’s outdoor faucets. That’s why you should shut them off for the winter. You can do this by making sure any excess water has run out of the faucet and the bleeder cap has drained. After that, use the shutoff valve to turn off the faucet.
• Drip Indoor Faucets – Dripping your indoor faucets will help keep a little water running through your pipes. This won’t completely prevent your pipes from freezing, but it will help. Plus, if your pipes freeze, those slow drips can help relieve pressure in the pipes and prevent them from cracking and bursting.
• Inspect Your Heating – One of the best things you can do to prevent your pipes from bursting in the winter is to make sure your furnace and HVAC system are prepared to survive the cold weather. If your heating system breaks down, your home will become freezing cold, which can lead to your pipes freezing and bursting. That’s why prior to winter, you should have an experienced HVAC and furnace technician perform a heating inspection on your home. This can help you ensure your furnace and HVAC unit are prepared to keep your home warm all winter long.

Our Experienced Plumbers Are Ready to Help. Contact Us Now!

Winterizing your home should be a priority this time of year. If you do it, you can save yourself time and money come winter. In addition, you can avoid having to deal with the inconveniences and safety issues associated with winter plumbing problems, such as having your pipes burst.

At Winters® Home Services, we have been helping homeowners and businesses in Boston and its surrounding communities solve their plumbing problems since 1995. Our experienced plumbers have just about seen it all, so we know what issues await your plumbing system come winter, and we know how to help you prepare your pipes, as well as the rest of your plumbing, to handle the freezing temperatures we’ll be experiencing in the coming weeks.

To learn more about Winters® Home Services, including how we can help you prepare your home’s plumbing for winter, read our customers’ reviews.

For more information about our plumbing services, or to discuss your situation with our experienced plumbers in Boston, call us at 617-221-5899 or get in touch with us online today. We offer free estimates, discounts, same-day service, and 24/7 emergency plumbing services.