With water freezing and thawing all winter long, plus a heightened demand for hot water, your pipes go under a lot of stress this time of year. However, there are plenty of things you can do to protect your pipes in these plummeting temperatures. Joe Klosterman Plumbing in Cincinnati, OH, wants you to know that they are available for any kind of plumbing repairs you might need, and that by following these tips, you can decrease the chance of anything going awry this winter:

• Insulate Your Pipes: When water travels from your municipal water supply to your home, it's usually buried below the frost line, where the ground temperature actually stays relatively constant – allowing water to travel freely. It's when water gets close to the surface that problems will most likely arise. You can help by calling Joe Klosterman Plumbing to wrap all of your exposed pipes, including both cold and hot water systems.

• Close Outdoor Vents: Now is the time to close all of your crawlspace and attic vents. Anywhere there is exposed plumbing, check to see that it's sealed off from outdoor air.

• Leave A Trickle: You don't want to do this the rest of the year, but when the temperature drops below the pipe-freezing threshold, it's generally a good idea to run all your faucets at a small trickle. This helps relieve the pressure that the forming ice exerts on liquid water trapped behind closed faucets – the real cause of pipe ruptures, rather than the expanding ice alone.

• Circulate The Heat: Your home heating system benefits your pipes as well as your family. To better ensure that heat gets to them, keep kitchen/bathroom cabinets open on cold days.

Joe Klosterman Plumbing provides comprehensive residential plumbing repair services throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Tri-state area. To learn more about the region's leading family-owned plumbing company, visit them online or call (513) 941-6766 to schedule an appointment.