Tips To Winterize Your Plumbing

While the Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia region has been gifted a very warm winter, cold weather certainly lies ahead of us!  The past few years we saw the effects and the mess of a very, very cold winter due to the frozen pipes. Our plumbing experts are here to give you some general winterizing tips for your plumbing in your home.

Inside Your Home

• First things first, make sure everybody who lives in your home, including children, know where the main emergency shutoff valve is. In the event that you have a pipe burst this winter, getting to that main shutoff valve quickly is crucial and can determine how much damage is actually done to your home. This valve is responsible for the flow of water in your home, once it’s turned off, the water in your home will not run.
• If you have pipes that are located in an unheated garage, crawl space under your house, or near a less-insulated area in your home, like your basement, it’s time to insulate those pipes or faucets. Schedule a service with one of our experienced technicians to perform this service as they’ll be able to use special heat tape to insulate exposed pipes all over your home and even in hard to reach places.
• During the day and night, open your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and pantry door (if applicable) to allow warmer air circulate around the plumbing.

Outside Your Home

• Disconnect your garden hose(s) and turn off the water to your hose bibs by following these step-by-step instructions. You will save yourself the headache this winter by reducing your risk of having frozen pipes.
• Make sure you close the foundation or exterior vents around the house.

If you’re going on vacation during the winter months or have a vacant home…

• Make sure you leave the heat on and set to at least 60 degrees.
• Give us a call to winterize your home for you with the use of heat tape and antifreeze solution in the pipes.
• For a full list of vacation plumbing tips, check this out!

The warmer weather has been a nice gift the past few months, but the colder weather will surely come!  Get ahead of the game this year and winterize your plumbing as soon as possible.

Our certified and knowledgeable technicians are ready to winterization your plumbing the same day you schedule a service — give us a call today to prevent your pipes from freezing this winter.  Always remember that we’re here to serve you 7 Days A Week and there’s never an extra cost for weekend or holiday service.