The cold winter months may be great for your air conditioner, but it’s hard on your plumbing! Colder weather is finally setting in for everyone living in the Birmingham area, which means it is time to prepare your home, particularly your pipes and your plumbing, for the freezing temperatures. Not taking these important steps now could lead to serious plumbing problems later in the season. The last thing you want is to deal with a frozen, burst pipe! In order to avoid this, follow these 4 tips:

#1 Drain Any Outdoor Pipes and Faucets

If you have a piece of your plumbing outside your home, it’s important to shut it off and drain any water from the pipe immediately. Water left in these pipes, hoses, or faucets can freeze. This is what causes pipes to burst. Freezing and bursting leads to flooding issues inside your home that you certainly want to avoid.

#2 Keep Temperatures in Your Home Warm

Make sure to keep your thermostat set at a temperature warm enough to avoid freezing pipes, even when you’re gone. This is especially true if you’re leaving for a long period of time, like to go on vacation. In general, this means keeping the temperature at or above 55 degrees. If you turn off the heat and let the temperature inside dip any lower than that, the areas of your home that aren’t as well insulated could get extremely cold and the pipes may freeze. If you’re planning an extended time away from your home, like maybe months, and don’t want to pay to heat the whole house, you could shut off the main water and drain all the water from your pipes before leaving.

#3 Insulate Pipes in Cold Areas of the House

If you have pipes in an unfinished area of your basement or another type of add on, consider adding insulation around them to avoid the pipes freezing during extremely cold weather. Even if they’re on the interior of the home, cold weather could cause water in the pipes to freeze, expand, and cause damage. If they’re in a spot you don’t see very often, major damage could occur before you even realize it. No one wants their Holiday Season ruined this way! A quick layer of insulation available at many hardware stores or put on by a plumber can prevent this from happening. 

#4 Protect Your Pipes Against Extreme Temperatures

When temperatures hit well below freezing, you may need to take a few extra steps to protect your plumbing. This is especially true if you live in an older home with poor insulation. You can contact Plumbers Cheap to add insulation to pipes anywhere in your house. Also, experts recommend you leave the water on slightly so water continues to flow. Letting the water flow just enough for a drip is fine. You just don’t want it to completely stop.

Plumbers Cheap is here to help! If you need aid doing any of these items or you forgot and now have a plumbing emergency, we can handle it. We serve everyone in the Birmingham, AL area. Contact us today at 855-890-7713. If it is an emergency, please tell us so and we’ll be out very quickly!