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Once you hear about a cold front coming, prepping your home for winter becomes a top (and exciting) priority. But while gathering the wood for cozy fires or sealing gaps and cracks in your windows might be at the front of your mind, you don’t want to forget about your plumbing system.
Not preparing your home’s pipes and plumbing can be a recipe for disaster during freezing temperatures. To know specifically what tasks you should focus on to keep pipes from bursting, we spoke to two professional plumbers for their expertise. Here are the six important tasks to do before it freezes to keep your plumbing system operating smoothly this winter.
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How Does Freezing Temperatures Affect Your Plumbing System?
While the freezing temperatures certainly affect your own personal comfort indoors, they can also target your pipes. According to our experts, the colder months that produce below-freezing temperatures can lead to plumbing damage if you don’t prepare properly. “When temperatures drop below freezing, the water inside your pipes can freeze and expand, creating pressure that can cause the pipe to burst,” says Kevin J. Vander Hyde, Vice President of Vander Hyde Services. “Even the most minor crack can release hundreds of gallons of water once it thaws, leading to flooding, structural damage, and costly repairs.” Ahem, like mold growth.
But what’s interesting is that Jason Troutman, a Certified Master Plumber at Northlake Plumbing, says that area of the burst is almost never where the ice is. Apparently, it’s at the weakest point of the pipes from the pressure that builds from the blockage when water continues to run through the system. “When that pressure gets too high, the pipe ruptures at its weakest point, which is often a joint or an elbow fitting away from the ice. The pipe will stay plugged up until it thaws, and then you get a massive flood when the water pressure hits the crack,” he says.
So essentially, you never know where your pipes are going to burst or how bad the extent of the damage will be.
How To Prepare Your Pipes Before It Freezes
Thankfully, there are some ways to prepare your plumbing system for colder weather that keeps your home less likely to experience a busted pipes or structure damage.
Insulate All Exposed Pipes
Both of our plumbing pros say the first thing to do is insulate all exposed pipes before the cold weather hits. Hyde recommends paying special attention to the pipes in unheated areas such as garages, crawl spaces, and attics. He also says foam pipe insulation sleeves or heat tape are great supplies to use for this task since they keep the pipes protected.
Disconnect & Drain Outdoor Hoses
The next thing you’ll need to do is disconnect and drain your outdoor hoses. Troutman says, “this is the simplest fix, and it really helps prevent freezing from backing up into the wall.” Once you’ve disconnected the hoses and let them drain completely, he recommends covering them with an insulated hose bib cover to block the extreme temperatures.
Cover Outdoor Faucets
Like your hoses, you’ll definitely need to cover your outdoor faucets, too. You can do this with foam coverings or faucet covers from a nearby hardware store.
Drip Faucets Overnight
Of course the old tried-and-true freeze trick would make the list. Both pros say during a freeze, you should let your faucets drip overnight to prevent a pressure buildup. “In a deep freeze, open an indoor faucet as far away as possible from your water meter and let both the hot and cold water taps run slowly at a trickle that is roughly the size of a pencil lead,” says Troutman.
Find Your Water Shut-Off Valve
While this isn’t an actionable step like others on the list, knowing where your water shut-off valve is might come in handy if you need to turn your water supply off. “If a pipe does burst, you know where the valve is so you can quickly shut off the water to your home to minimize the damage,” says Hyde. “For homes that experience frequent freezing issues, installing a smart water leak detector or automatic shut-off system can provide extra peace of mind.”
Open Your Cabinet Doors
Lastly, an interesting hack we picked up from Hyde and Troutman is to keep your cabinet doors open during the night. “Your home’s interior heat will be in better contact with the plumbing to help prevent frozen pipes,” Troutman says. If your sinks are against an exterior wall, he recommends opening or removing the cabinet doors below.
