Living in the Pacific Northwest during the dead of winter isn’t easy. As temperatures drop to near freezing and below, you instinctually reach for the thermostat, a log for the fire, or – at the very least – a warm sweater or blanket. But what about your pipes? Maintaining coziness during the cold season is a state of mind easily dashed when you turn on your taps and find no water rushing out. A freezing water pipe is a guaranteed headache for any homeowner in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s lucky that we offer residential and commercial plumbing services that’ll get things moving in no time. But what if you want to avoid having to seek professional treatment altogether? You can reduce the chance you’ll need to hire a plumber to fix an icy surprise if you winterize your plumbing.
When you take the right precautions to avoid frozen pipes, you’re doing more than making sure you have running water. You’re avoiding leaks and breaks in your pipes. This might go unnoticed now, but when the weather warms, that extra water is sure to start dripping through the cracks. So act now – you’ll thank yourself later! To tackle the cold with tact, Pacific Plumbing & Drain Services offers some insight into winterproofing your plumbing, both inside and outside the home.
WINTERIZE HOUSE PLUMBING
Cold air has the potential to freeze any pipe it comes into contact with. When your home is properly insulated, it regulates the temperature of your plumbing as much as it does the rest of your house. If there are gaps or openings around the insulation, you’re putting your pipes at risk. To avoid this, close crawl space vents and cover the openings. Much like how you’d seal openings to keep out pests, you can do the same with frigid winter air.
Since cold air sinks, if you have a crawlspace under your home, it can get mighty chilly down there during a cold snap. If there’s enough room in your crawlspace, going down there and wrapping the pipes with foam pipe insulation can help keep the pipes warmer than they otherwise would be.
Another way to winterize pipes is to literally keep the water moving at all times. It doesn’t need to be a steady stream. All you need is to open the hot and cold tap just enough to let out a steady dribble of water. If there’s no standing water in your piping, there’s nothing for the cold to freeze. Also, Opening the cabinet doors under the sink can increase the temperature of your pipes, bringing them closer to the ambient air temperature of your home.
WINTERIZE PIPES OUTSIDE THE HOME
When it comes to winterproofing plumbing, the pipes outside the home are especially vulnerable. Luckily there are still measures you can take! If you have garden hoses, you should make sure they are disconnected and properly stored. You should also turn off and drain all sprinkler systems (often referred to as getting them ‘blown out’), as a broken sprinkler pipe underground is an expensive hassle you want to avoid if you can. And it’s always helpful to know the exact location of your exterior water shut-off. It might be in the garage, the basement, or underground in your yard. Once you find it, turn it off and then turn on your outdoor faucets to drain the water from them. Once they’re completely emptied, you can rest easier, knowing you’ve eliminated the risk of freezing and rupturing pipes.
PACIFIC PLUMBING & DRAIN SERVICES FOR WINTER PLUMBING
Sometimes you can take every measure to winterize your home’s plumbing, and still wind up with a frozen pipe. That’s okay! Weather is hard to predict, and if your pipes are older and already worn, they may have already reached a natural breaking point. What matters is how you react. You can take some of the measures listed above to try and thaw the pipe, but do not use any form of fire or torch to try and warm the pipe manually. The only thing worse than a frozen pipe is a burned-down house. Instead, call a professional that knows how to handle the issue with skill and experience.
Whether it’s leaks, water fixture repairs – and, yes, winterization too – Pacific Plumbing & Drain Services can do our part to make sure your plumbing is up for anything. Unlike some of our competitors, we pride ourselves on being on-call for homes and businesses in Portland OR & Vancouver WA 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So don’t wait for your plumbing to hit its breaking point to jump into action. Prepare as best you can; if that’s not enough, call the foremost plumbing experts in the Portland OR metro area. Contact us today for questions or a free quote!
