Enjoy This Year’s Holiday Season by Avoiding These Plumbing Mishaps
As you make your to-do list this coming holiday season, ensure that you include a few small but very useful home maintenance tips. Frozen pipes can happen very quickly, especially with the chilly temperatures in Minnesota during the holiday season.
If you are traveling over the holidays, or if you are playing host to a crowd this year, you don’t want a plumbing headache to interfere with your celebration. Here’s how to prevent it from happening.
Start Outside
If you didnโt put your hoses away in the fall, itโs essential that you do this now. Remove hoses and store them for the season. Drain any water from the faucet and then switch off the interior valve, protecting your home from a potential frozen pipe situation. Itโs worthwhile to head to the hardware store and pick up a faucet insulation kit too.
Insulate Pipes with Foam
While you are outside, take a look around to see if you have any piping that is exposed to the elements (look in your garage too). Wrap the pipes in foam to keep them warm. In your basement (particularly near your hot water tank) make sure that pipes are well insulated.
This can actually raise the water temperature by a couple of degrees. Underneath sinks that are against exterior walls, leave cabinets open to let warm air circulate.
Keep Your Hot Water Tank Warm
You insulate your roof and your walls to keep heat in and cold out during the winter, so you should apply the same principle to your water heater. Putting an extra layer of insulation (i.e. a hot water jacket) around your tank is one of the most energy-efficient things that you can do for your home. It helps to ensure the continuous flow of hot water, especially when temps drop below freezing.
Heat Your Home to 55°F
Hitting the road for the holidays? Turn your thermostat down to save energy, but turning it down too low can cause different problems. Your home still needs to be reasonably warm to prevent pipes from freezing.
Inspect Your Sump Pump
It is essential that your sump pump is in tip top shape to save your home in the event of a flooding or plumbing emergency. Consider an annual inspection to make sure that it is working well. If you are going to test it out yourself, remove any debris from the sump pit so that it has room to work. Pour a few buckets of water in the pit. It should switch on automatically.
Check That Your Faucets are Running
Turn each faucet in your home to ensure that water is flowing well. If you see trouble with a faucet or notice that it is leaking, it could be a sign of a blockage. And if you’ve experienced cold weather lately, it could very well be the ill effects of a frozen pipe - either cracked or still frozen. Call your plumber for assistance.
If your plumbing is causing you trouble, stay calm. We’ve got the help you need. Call B & D Plumbing, Heating & A/C today at (763) 497-2290 for an appointment in St. Michael, MN.