With winter right around the corner, now is the time to prepare your home’s plumbing needs for the cold weather by going through and checking off some items from your plumbing maintenance to-do list.
So how exactly does the change in season affect your home’s plumbing needs? Well first of all, the colder weather makes outdoor tasks impossible or unnecessarily difficult. For example, cleaning dead leaves and other debris out of your gutters is not only unpleasant in the cold, but can be dangerous if you don’t wait for a dry day. The last thing you want is a broken bone and the pain and cost that comes along with it. Instead, take advantage of the few remaining fall weather days that are left in the fall to do your maintenance.
While you are at it, take a quick inspection around your home and check for leaky faucets or cracked fixtures. You also want to remove any exposed pipe that may freeze over when winter comes around. Properly insulating your pipes and keeping water out of your hoses is a good way to reduce property damage that results from frozen, ruptured pipelines. This is especially important to keep in mind before taking any long vacations before Winter hits.
It is a great idea to turn off your home’s water valve and keep the thermostat at a decent level to prevent returning home to flooded basements and mildew. While it may seem inconvenient to take preemptive action and spend the money for plumbing maintenance, it is far cheaper than paying for the cost of disaster cleanup when a pipe ruptures. There are lots of extra chores that come along with the Winter weather, so take the initiative and take care of your home’s plumbing needs early on, making your life that much easier in the future!