While preparing your Calgary home for another long, cold winter, don’t forget to pay special attention to your plumbing. Burst pipes and other plumbing issues are common during freezing temperatures, but these costly situations can all be avoided, by following the plumbing winterization tips listed below.
- Pack up your garden hoses. Leaving a garden hose connected during freezing temperatures can result in major damage, as ice forms, and pressure builds up in your indoor water lines. It’s common for a water line break or leak to occur at this point, flooding your interior and destroying your property; disconnect all hoses, and drain outdoor pipes before cold weather arrives.
- Put on a jacket. Install an exterior, insulated faucet jacket after disconnecting hoses, to protect the faucets and lines running in to your home. Use the corresponding shutoff valve to drain the water from pipes leading to outdoor hoses.
- Heat the indoors. Don’t let interior temperatures dip below 13 degrees Celsius. Warm air circulating throughout your home keeps the pipes in exterior walls from freezing; open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air to reach those pipes located inside.
- Keep the cold out. Close the garage door, particularly if it houses your water heater.
- Don’t let pipes freeze. Keep a close eye on your water pressure, as the first sign of frozen pipes is a reduced water flow. If you suspect a problem, call for service immediately.
- Keep it moving. Since moving water won’t freeze, allow cold water to trickle from your faucets during the evening, when temperatures are at their lowest.
- Insulate. Wrap exposed pipes in unconditioned spaces such as your attic, crawlspace or outside walls, with foam insulation, after first applying electrical heating tape.
- Seal leaks. Even a tiny opening to the outdoors can let in enough cold air to freeze your pipes. Check for leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, pipes, and wall outlets, and seal with caulking or insulation where needed.
If your plumbing issues turn into plumbing emergencies, or you are considering some plumbing renos, our certified technicians are ready to help.
For more plumbing winterization tips, give us a call at Arpi’s Industries, Ltd., serving homeowners in Calgary and the surrounding areas for over 50 years.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “marinini/Shutterstock”
