Is Your Plumbing Ready for Winter?

• When winterizing plumbing, it’s important to wrap pipes in any area of your home that’s not heated. Pipe insulation, as well as heat tape, can be purchased at a local hardware store.

It is possible to check a home’s water pressure with a water pressure gauge that can be purchased from a local hardware store. At Reliant Plumbing, we recommend a home’s water pressure be between 40 and 80 pounds per inch (PPI). If you do not have proper water pressure or don’t know how to check, contact us for an inspection! Excessive water pressure can cause damaged pipes as well as breaking faucets and valves.

Traveling during the winter months is common, and nobody wants to go on a trip and worry about their pipes bursting! Reliant Plumbing recommends homeowners do these 3 things to minimize potential plumbing problems when traveling.

1. Drain all the water out of the home’s pipes. This can be done by turning off a home’s main water supply. Then open all the spigots and faucets in the home until the water stops coming out.
2. Maintain the home’s heat a bit above where it is normally kept. This will help prevent pipes from freezing. It will also make certain your home’s indoor air temperature is always above freezing.
3. Turn off the main water supply until you return.

The last thing you want to deal with in the middle of winter is a broken water heater! A standard water heater usually needs to be replaced every 10 to 12 years. Upgrading to a new water heater is often considered to be a significant investment, but it is better than dealing with a failed unit during the cold months. Upgrading will also help you avoid the chances of having a water heater burst and flood a basement, a laundry room, or a garage when the temperature outside is well below freezing.

A sump pump will help protect a home should there be flooding in the basement. When your home has a sump pump, it is important to make certain it is in good working order prior to cold temperatures arriving. The team at Reliant Plumbing can examine your home’s sump pump and make certain it is ready for the winter.

If your home has a sprinkler system, it’s important to drain sprinklers prior to the arrival of colder temperatures. Doing this significantly decreases the chances of these pipes rupturing during the winter. All water hoses should be well-drained and stored indoors before the winter months arrive.