We’re still in the early stages of fall here in Bergen County, NJ, but winter will be here before you know it, and with those cold temperatures come a host of concerns for responsible homeowners. Not least among those is frozen pipes, which can burst your plumbing and cause all manner of serious problems. Certainly, you can hire a qualified plumber to fix burst pipes when they appear. But far better than going through that hassle and expense is to stop frozen pipes before they start. We’ve included a brief list of suggestions here, many of which can be implemented now, before the temperatures get too cold.
- Leave the water on a trickle. We’re rightly conditioned to turn our faucets completely off to avoid wasting water. But leaving it on a trickle at all times will help prevent frozen pipes. The running water keeps ice from forming and ensures that your pipes won’t become blocked.
- Keep the heat on. As with running the water, we’re used to turning off the heat in our homes when we leave for a weekend or on Christmas vacation. Always leave the heat on warm enough to prevent water from freezing. The additional cost is more than worth it if it means protecting your plumbing system.
- Drain the water in your system. If you’re leaving on vacation, or even if you just want a little insurance every night, then shut off the main water valve to your home and turn on all the faucets and outlets to drain them. If there’s no water in the pipes, there’s no danger of it freezing.
- Insulate your pipes. A qualified plumbing service can wrap your pipes in insulation and keep the water inside from freezing no matter what the circumstances. If you can’t afford to insulate all the pipes in your home, look for trouble spots such as pipes running through an outside wall to insulate.
BZ Dependable can help you prevent frozen pipes, so call us today!