Fall Plumbing Maintenance Tips
When fall comes to Illinois and the leaves start to gather in your yard, you know that winter is right around the corner. While this might spur you to start your holiday plans, it should also remind you to prepare your home, particularly your plumbing system, for freezing temperatures. Your plumbing system can create vulnerabilities in your home when the mercury dips, but fortunately, some simple preventative plumbing maintenance tasks can help to keep your home safe.
Insulate Exposed Pipes
Freezing pipes can burst, causing damage to your plumbing system and to the areas in your home that get wet. Most indoor pipes are safe because they’re in heated areas and also protected by your home’s insulation, but pipes in unheated areas like garages and crawl spaces are not. You can get insulation kits at your local hardware store to protect these pipes from the cold and prevent freezing.
Clean Your Gutters
Precipitation is high during the winter, so it’s particularly important to have your gutters clear throughout the winter months. Cleaning debris from your gutters and downspouts keeps water draining properly so that it doesn’t fall near your foundation, which can lead to water in your basement or crawl spaces. Water intrusion into your home can be extremely damaging, threatening your belongings and the foundation itself.
Drain and Put Away Outdoor Water Hoses
Water left in your garden hoses can freeze, which in turn can cause the faucets and connected pipes inside your home to freeze and break. Drain your hoses completely, disconnect them, and store them away in a dry space for the winter. Your hoses will last longer, and you’ll prevent potential damage to your home.
Check and Cover Outdoor Faucets
Your outdoor faucets are vulnerable to freezing and breaking if water is left in them, so check them for leaks and dripping and get them repaired if necessary. Then make sure they are fully drained and cover them with insulation. Again, you can buy insulation kits for faucets at your local hardware store.
Close the Outdoor Shut Off Valve
Most outdoor faucets have a shut off valve inside the home, usually in the basement or crawl space. Turn the valve off and drain the water that’s in the pipe that goes from the valve to the faucet. This will prevent it from freezing and breaking which can lead to water damage.
Check Your Water Heater for Leaks
Hot water is essential to daily living, especially in the winter, making your water heater an important fixture in your home. Check for water in the pan under your water heater. If any is there, your water heater is leaking and needs to be repaired or replaced.
Our plumbing pros can repair the leak, or help you select a new water heater and get it installed quickly so that your family’s routine is uninterrupted.
Get a Water Heater Flush
Regular water heater flushes can extend the life of your water heater. A flush removes built up sediment that can cause damage and impact efficiency. In the winter, your water heater works harder due to the cold temperatures, so efficiency is important to keep your winter energy costs down. You can do a flush yourself, but to make sure it’s done properly, it’s often better to trust a professional. The team of plumbing pros at TR Miller can handle it for you to keep your water heater running at its best.
Check the Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve
To ensure that your water heater functions well during the winter, check your pressure relief valve. It works to prevent excess pressure and temperature that can lead your water heater to break or even explode. To check it, lift up the lever and let it snap back, but be careful because the water is hot. When you do so, a burst of water should go into the drainpipe. If it doesn’t, you need a new valve.
TR Miller Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing can handle both the valve test and replacement for you so that you don’t risk getting burned, and so that your water heater is safe.
Seal Gaps Between Exterior Pipes and Walls
Gaps can develop between the walls and pipes where pipes enter your home, which can allow cold air to come in and also allow the pipes to freeze inside. Take a walk around the inside and outside of your house to find these gaps, and close the gaps with weather stripping, caulk, and insulation.
Have a Sewer Line Inspection
Sewer line backups are a hassle that no one wants to deal with, but regular inspections and cleaning can prevent them. Doing so can detect and fix potential blockages before they cause trouble. During the winter, your sewer lines work harder since you and your family are likely home and indoors more, so having a fall inspection is a good idea. An inspection can also address any exposed sewer line pipes that need to be insulated to prevent freezing.
Check and Insulate Sump Pump
Sump pumps work hard to keep water from precipitation out of your home, so you’ll want to ensure that it’s working properly before winter. You can test it by pouring water around the sump pump to make sure it kicks on when the water reaches a certain level. You should also insulate your sump pump to prevent it from freezing. You can use foam or fiberglass insulation cut to fit around the sump pump, and secure it with zip ties. Also be sure to insulate the connected discharge pipe.
Our professional plumbing team is ready to handle your sump pump testing and insulation, as well as replacing it for you when necessary so that your home stays dry all winter.
Check for Pipe Leaks and Corrosion
Pipes that leak or are corroded are more vulnerable to freezing, so check all your pipes for leaks or signs of corrosion. Fixing these issues can not only protect your pipes and your home, but also prevent water damage and excessive water bills.
The TR Miller plumbing team can inspect your pipes and make repairs that are necessary to keep your pipes and home safe.
TR Miller Is Your Plumbing Maintenance Partner
TR Miller Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing has been serving the plumbing needs of Greater Chicago residents since 2008. We are a family-owned company, so we understand the needs and concerns of our customers. Our professional plumbers are highly trained in plumbing maintenance, repairs, and replacement and our entire team is dedicated to ensuring your home’s function and safety.
Give us a call in the fall before winter hits, and we can thoroughly inspect your plumbing system, and perform any maintenance or repairs that are required. With TR Miller as your plumbing partner, you can rest assured that your plumbing system will perform properly and at maximum efficiency throughout the winter and the rest of the year.
