We know that spring is the furthest thing from your mind as temperatures take a plunge. But maintaining your home’s plumbing system now means a lot less stress in the months to come. When plumbing components freeze, you can end up with some costly repairs in the spring. But you can take action right now to prevent that hassle later on—and it’s easy!
Why Winterizing Your Outdoor Plumbing Is So Important
Water expands when it freezes. And that’s a problem because, when water expands in your pipes or in the faucet outdoors, the pipes can expand too! This, of course, would lead to the pipe or fixture breaking, as it won’t be able to contain the extra volume within.
Many people start off the spring spending money on replacement faucets, hoses, and even piping. But it’s so much easier to spend a little bit of time preventing this problem in the fall or early winter.
What You Need to Do
It’s fairly simple, as long as you know where everything is located. If you need any help, do not hesitate to call in a local plumber.
- Bring in any outdoor plumbing attachments. Drain garden hoses and faucet attachments completely, and bring them indoors to store away for next spring.
- Turn off the water valve. There should be a valve within your home, perhaps in a basement, that allows you to turn off the water to the outdoors only. With the valve shut off completely, no more water should make it to the outdoor faucets.
- Drain out the water. There will still be some water left within the pipe leading out to the outdoor faucet. Turn on the faucet to drain out the remaining water. If it continues to drip for very long, you haven’t shut off the water valve all the way. Leave the valve off and the faucet on throughout the winter.
Contact Evans Plumbing Inc today to schedule plumbing service in Hailey, ID.
