How to Get Your Plumbing Ready for Fall
A smart man once said that you need two things in order to have a civilization: wine and plumbing. Now, we don’t know all that much about wine except that it comes in two major colors and it tastes good on Christmas. As HVAC and plumbing specialists, we’re much better qualified to tell you about the second prerequisite for civilization.
When autumn comes and winter is lurking just around the corner, you want to take a few precautions against cold weather plumbing disasters. Getting your plumbing ready for the fall can spare you from spending thousands of dollars on repairs – not to mention immeasurable inconvenience!
Insulate Your Pipes
You wouldn’t brave the Midwest’s cold weather without your wool scarf and mittens. You wouldn’t want to deprive your plumbing of much-needed insulation, either! Insulating your pipes is an effective safeguard against freezing, which will destroy them. It’s also a great way to save money on energy bills because insulated hot water pipes can raise your water’s temperature by up to 4 °F. Insulation will also help your shower warm up faster, helping you save time and conserve water.
Turn Off All Outdoor Plumbing
Don’t neglect plumbing just because it happens to be outside. If water freezes within your outdoor plumbing, the damage can still be extensive. Before the cold weather comes to make hoses, sprinklers, and fountains all useless, make certain all of these fixtures are completely turned off and incapable of letting water flow through them. Cover any outside pipes or faucets with heat tape for even greater protection against freezing.
Repair All Leaks
As you prepare to spend a lot more time indoors, you will want to fix any troublesome leaks that may have popped up inside your house. Like insulating your pipes, stopping leaks will save you money: A single faucet leaking one drop of water per second can waste up to 3,000 gallons in a single year. That’s the equivalent of 180 showers! And this is to say nothing of the damage from flooding, rotting, or mold that a single leak can eventually cause.
Inspect Your Fixtures
While you’re checking all of your fixtures for leaks, make certain they’re in otherwise good working order by inspecting them for clogs, cracks, corrosion, and other types of deterioration. Don’t focus this important inspection solely on your faucets. You’ll also want to check the P-traps beneath your sinks, your toilets, your garbage disposal unit, your washing machine hoses, and any other plumbing you can lay eyes on without tearing down a wall!
Inspect Your Sump Pump
Your sump pump works hard to remove water from the lowest point in your home. It keeps your basement from flooding during heavy rain or the onslaught of meltwater that awaits when spring finally rolls around. Fall is a great time to inspect your sump pump, its discharge line, and its underlying pit while ensuring nothing has become clogged by debris.
Inspect Your Water Heater
We don’t have to tell you just how foul a cold shower feels when it’s cold outside, which is why it’s absolutely crucial that you inspect your water heater before it gets too late into the fall. Look for any obvious signs of corrosion and puddling, and listen for any unusual noises that might be radiating from your water heater whenever it turns on. Any of these signs could indicate that your water heater is in immediate need of repair, if not outright replacement.
Some of the ways you can get your plumbing ready for fall are easy enough. It doesn’t take a master’s degree in advanced plumbing theory to insulate your pipes and turn off your sprinklers. But for more complex mechanical issues, you are nearly certainly better off engaging the services of a master plumber. That’s where PrairieSons comes in.
If you live in the greater Sioux Falls area and need expert help with your heating, air conditioning, or plumbing, then we welcome you to reach out to PrairieSons today! We keep the cold winter at bay.