A Guide to Plumbing Winter Preparation

As the colder months approach, the importance of preparing your home for winter cannot be overstated. One of the most vulnerable parts of your house during winter is your plumbing system. Freezing temperatures can cause water to expand, potentially leading to burst pipes and costly water damage. To avoid this, it’s essential to winterize your home and protect your pipes from the harsh cold.

Why Winterizing Your Plumbing Matters

Winter brings freezing temperatures that pose a threat to your home’s plumbing system. Even in areas that don’t regularly experience extreme cold, an unexpected cold snap can lead to frozen or burst pipes. When water freezes inside a pipe, it expands and increases pressure, potentially causing the pipe to burst. This can lead to significant water damage, high repair costs, and a lot of headaches.

At Preferred Plumbing Solutions, we want to ensure that you’re well-prepared for winter. By taking a few proactive steps, you can avoid the inconvenience and expense of dealing with frozen pipes. Winterizing your home is an easy and effective way to protect your plumbing system from damage.

Key Tips to Winterize Your Home

Here are some essential steps to ensure your plumbing is winter-ready:

Disconnect Outdoor Hoses
One of the first things you should do when winterizing your home is to disconnect all outdoor hoses. Leaving hoses connected to outdoor faucets can cause water to remain trapped inside the hose or faucet, where it can freeze, expand, and lead to burst pipes. Store hoses indoors to prevent cracking or damage.

Shut Off Outdoor Water Supply
To prevent freezing in your outdoor pipes, locate the shut-off valve inside your home that controls the water supply to outdoor faucets. Turning off this valve will stop water from flowing to your outdoor spigots, which can help prevent freezing and bursting. Be sure to drain any remaining water by opening the outdoor faucets after the shut-off valve is closed.

Drain Water from Outdoor Pipes
After you’ve shut off the water supply to your outdoor faucets, it’s important to ensure there’s no water trapped inside the pipes. Even a small amount of water left in the pipes can freeze, expand, and cause the pipe to burst. To avoid this, leave the outdoor faucet open and tilt it to let any remaining water drain out completely.

Insulate Your Pipes
Pipes located in unheated areas of your home, such as basements, garages, attics, or crawl spaces, are especially prone to freezing. Use pipe insulation or heat tape to wrap these pipes, providing an extra layer of protection against the cold. For added peace of mind, consider insulating the entire area where the pipes are located.

Keep Your Home Warm
Even when you’re away from home, it’s important to maintain a consistent temperature inside your house. Setting your thermostat to at least 12°C (55°F) will help prevent pipes from freezing. If you plan to be away for an extended period during the winter, have someone check on your home regularly or consider using a smart thermostat to monitor the temperature remotely.

Open Cabinets Under Sinks
On particularly cold days, open the cabinets under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warm air to circulate around the pipes. This simple step can help prevent the pipes inside your cabinets from freezing.

Seal Cracks and Drafts
Cold air can enter your home through cracks or gaps around windows, doors, and exterior walls. Sealing these openings with caulk or weatherstripping can help keep the cold air out and protect your pipes from freezing. Pay special attention to areas where pipes enter your home from outside, as these spots are particularly vulnerable.

Consider Professional Winterization Services
While many homeowners choose to handle their own winterization, it can be beneficial to hire a professional plumber to ensure that everything is done properly. At Preferred Plumbing Solutions, we offer comprehensive winterization services to give you peace of mind. We will:

• Inspect your plumbing system to identify any potential vulnerabilities.
• Shut off and drain outdoor water lines.
• Insulate pipes in unheated areas.
• Provide advice on additional steps you can take to protect your home.

The best part? If we winterize your home and any issues arise later in the season, we’ll repair them at no charge! This offer ensures that your pipes are in good hands, and you can enjoy a stress-free winter.

What Happens if You Don’t Winterize Your Home?

If you neglect to winterize your home, you run the risk of dealing with frozen pipes, which can quickly escalate into a more significant problem. A frozen pipe can burst, leading to extensive water damage, expensive repairs, and the disruption of daily life. Fixing a burst pipe is not only costly but can also require tearing out walls or floors to access the damaged area. It’s much easier—and cheaper—to winterize your plumbing system before the cold weather sets in.

Protect Your Home Now: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!

Winter weather can be unpredictable, but you don’t have to leave your plumbing to chance. By taking the necessary precautions to winterize your home, you can avoid frozen pipes, water damage, and expensive repairs. And if you’re unsure about the process or simply want the peace of mind that comes with professional help, Preferred Plumbing Solutions is here for you.

Give us a call at 905-597-8555 to schedule your winterization service today. Protect your home this winter and avoid the headache of burst pipes!

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