;)
Is Your Plumbing Ready for Old Man Winter?| Insight from Your Glen Allen, VA Plumber
Photo By tab62 at Shutterstock
Old Man Winter waits for no one, and he certainly doesn’t wait for your plumbing system to be up to par and ready for the cold temps ahead. Don’t worry, your Glen Allen, VA, plumber is ready to help out with a seasonal checkup and a fast and easy fix for any plumbing woes, all before the temperature starts to plummet.
Batten Down the Hatches, Winter’s On Its Way
Glen Allen, VA, has fairly mild winters, but that’s not to say that Richmond doesn’t get its fair share of freezing weather when the temperature gets down to as low as 28 degrees F or lower. Getting your plumbing ready for lower temps makes sense—an ounce of prevention, as they say, is worth a pound of cure. Getting rid of any problems now ensures you have water running through your taps with no leaks to deal with during the busy holiday season. Let’s look at what your home’s plumbing system needs in order to be ready for colder days ahead.
Preventing Burst Pipes
Before we talk about what’s needed to get your home ready for winter, let’s talk about who should do the work to properly winterize your home. Some DIY homeowners may be able to do most of the winterizing of their properties themselves, but if you don’t have 100 percent confidence in your abilities to get your home ready for the changing season, give your Glen Allen, VA, plumber a call. He’s got the skills, equipment, and know-how to make sure everything in your plumbing system is in tip-top shape, saving your time and expenses later.
The most integral part of winterizing your Glen Allen, VA, plumbing is ensuring that your pipes do not freeze and burst. An undetected frozen pipe, once melted, can release thousands of gallons of water into the home. If you are home, you’ll probably hear water running and call your plumber for help. If you’re not home, you may come home to an interior flood, even from a small rupture. This can translate to thousands of dollars in repair costs.
Preparing for the Worst
Never fear; this doesn’t have to happen to you. Your plumber can do a quick check to make sure that you don’t have any exposed pipes that are in danger of freezing. These are typically pipes found in cold areas of your home, such as crawlspaces and attics, or in the garage. Your plumber can use fiberglass or foam insulation or in some instances, a heat tape, to keep your pipes from succumbing to freezing temps. Remember, Virginia’s temperatures can dip below freezing and stay that way long enough to become a problem in those areas of the home that receive little or no heat.
Don’t Forget Exterior Faucets/Pipes
In the same vein, pipes routed to the home’s exterior are also vulnerable to freezing. Pipes that route outdoors should be drained and shut off from the interior of the home prior to the onset of cold weather. Cold-water expansion can likewise affect your sprinkler system, leading to cracking that costs a lot of money to fix. Your plumber can purge any retained water from your sprinkler system to reduce the chance of damage.
You can do your part to reduce the incidence of freezing pipes in the home by keeping the interior of the home toasty warm. Keep in mind that much of your home’s plumbing system has to travel though sections of the home that are much colder than your living room, and it may be nearly impossible to monitor the temps everywhere your plumbing goes. By keeping your home consistently warm, you discourage freezing of pipes in the first place.
Check for Leaks
Any leak in your home’s plumbing system is even harder to find and repair in winter. A preemptive strike against leaks prior to the onset of winter means calling out your Glen Allen, VA, plumber for an inspection. Your plumber will arrive with inspection equipment, including special cameras that can help him find leaks and obstructions in your pipes.
Remember that even a small leak now in your plumbing can be the launching point for major issues once the temperature begins to drop this winter. Leaks are naturally weak points in your plumbing pipes, and since water expands the closer it drops to the freezing point, weak areas of pipes are the most prone to bursts. Fixing them now can save a lot of trouble come January or February when Virginia’s winter can turn brutal at times.
Get Ready for Company
Chances are good that you’ll have some company this winter, especially around the holidays. Now is the time to fix any leaky faucets, running toilets, or back-ups of sewage into tubs. Your plumber can help with all of the above and then some.
TLC for Your Hot Water Heater
Think about having your water heater drained to remove sediment and debris, since it will need to work extra hard during colder months to keep your water running hot around the clock. An inspection of your water heater can also help to stave off any potential problems that might be more complicated or expensive to fix later on.
Call Early – We’re Hoppy to Help
Because this is a busy time of year for your plumber, it’s always good practice to schedule your annual or semi-annual plumbing check-up as soon as possible in the season. For the fastest possible service, think of joining our Proactive Protection Program. It comes with priority service, a 15-percent-off fee reduction, and a free annual plumbing inspection.
Count on bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of Richmond to hop to the task when you give us a call at (804) 930-8757.
Priority Service