Once the weather starts to turn colder, your home is 40% more likely to suffer water damage than during the spring or summer. Plumbing is vulnerable when the temperature drops, and if water is left to freeze and expand, it can rupture pipes, resulting in considerable damage to your home and costly repairs. As well as having to deal with the consequences of water damage, going without hot water and heating is much more unpleasant when the temperature drops below freezing. However, by servicing water heaters, insulating pipes, and draining unused systems, you can minimize the risk of any unexpected issues with your plumbing during the winter.
Keep Hot Water Flowing
Hot water is essential at any time, but being forced to go without it in the winter is particularly miserable. Lagging pipes with insulating foam is easy to do, and will prevent cold water pipes from freezing. It will also help to reduce any heat loss from hot water pipes as they run through the house, and can raise the water temperature by up to 4℃. If a pipe does burst, it’s useful to know where to turn off the water in order to prevent further damage before calling for specialized assistance. Even without an emergency, you may need help to service or install new plumbing equipment. According to Carter’s My Plumber, signs that your water tank is not performing at its best can include lukewarm showers, a drop in pressure, or even discoloration of the water. By looking out for problems and keeping your hot water systems well maintained before the cold weather hits, you can avoid more serious issues during the depths of winter.
Stay In Control Of Heating
Fall is also a good time to arrange for your heating system to be serviced. As well as insulating pipework, maintaining a heating source inside your home can help to protect your plumbing from the cold weather. Once the air filters in your heating system have been changed and the heat exchanger cleaned, you are ready to make the switch from cool to warm. When you’re at home, setting your thermostat to around 20℃ will give you a good balance between feeling comfortably warm and being energy efficient. However, if you are away from your home for any length of time, with the thermostat set to just 55 degrees, you can still keep pipes warm and stop any water inside them from freezing. As an extra precaution when leaving a property empty for a prolonged period, you can drain the water from pumps, heaters and tanks to prevent ice from cracking and breaking the plumbing and pipes.
With colder weather approaching, it’s reassuring to know that your water heater and other elements of your home’s heating and plumbing systems are well maintained and running smoothly. Taking the time to prepare plumbing systems for freezing temperatures will help you to avoid the cost and inconvenience of burst pipes in the middle of winter.