The winter weather can affect your home in numerous ways without the right preparation, and your plumbing system is no exception. Without the right care, the pipes in your home can freeze and burst during cold spells, resulting in costly water damage. Below, learn what plumbing supplies help winterize your system and what else you can do to protect the pipes and fixtures from winter’s chill.

5 Plumbing Winterization Tips

1. Cover Exposed Pipes

Use foam insulation or similar plumbing supplies to insulate exposed pipes in your garage, basement, or crawlspace. Electrical heat tape also prevents pipes from freezing, cracking, and leaking. Whatever type of insulation you use, ensure there are no gaps that can cause pipe sections to freeze.

2. Maintain a Warm Home

Keep your home’s interior temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit or higher to warm your walls, floors, ceilings, and your plumbing pipes. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinets as much as possible to help warm air circulate. 

3. Open Drain Valves & Taps

Check the operation of your water main valve, which is typically next to the water meter, by turning it on and off every year prior to winter. Turn the water main off in the event of a burst pipe to minimize water damage. Also, open all of the drain valves and taps in your home and leave them open throughout the season. Closed valves can trap water, allowing it to freeze. 

4. Inspect & Flush the Water Heater

Schedule water heater servicing if it has been a few years since the appliance received professional attention. Your local plumber will check all components and flush the appliance, a task that risks hot water burns from non-professional attempts. Flushing the water heater eliminates sediment that can cause corrosion, cracking, and leaking. A well-functioning hot water heater also keeps warm water circulating throughout your home.

5. Turn Off Outside Valves & Drain the Lines

Drain all garden hoses and water lines, and turn off each outside valve around your home to keep cold air from entering the household plumbing. Water that freezes in hoses and water lines from fountains and pools can create blockages that allow pressure to build. This can potentially back up into your home’s water supply, resulting in pipe damage. 

Get the plumbing supplies you need to protect your home this winter from Berthiaume’s Neversink Lumber Co. Inc. The family-owned hardware store has served Port Jervis, NY, and the surrounding areas for over 60 years, providing quality plumbing supplies, building materials, and other home improvement products. Call (845) 856-5161 today with questions.