Winter is the most common time to have problems with the water pipes or plumbing fixtures in your home, but there are ways that you can prevent these issues. It is important to plan in advance so that the issues are less likely to occur. Here are the four most common plumbing problems and how to avoid the issues.
Broken Water Pipes from Freezing Temperatures
You can avoid having a frozen water pipe in a variety of ways, including wrapping the items with self-adhesive insulating tape. For exterior pipes, make sure to drain the items before the temperature drops. Inside your home, you should open the doors of the cabinets in the bathrooms so that warm climate-controlled air will circulate around the items. Make sure to keep your home warm enough throughout the winter so that the water in the pipes is less likely to freeze.
Clogged Drains in the Bathroom or the Kitchen
If there is debris in the drains of the sinks, toilets or bathtubs, then the substances may freeze during the winter, making it impossible to flush a toilet or empty a bathtub. Before winter begins, you should clean the drains in the plumbing fixtures by using a rubber-tipped plunger or by pouring a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar into the drains. You can prevent drain clogs in sinks and bathtubs by using devices over the drains to capture hair, lint and other debris.
Malfunctioning Water Heater
Many water heaters stop working during the winter because the appliances can’t tolerate the drop in temperature, leading to a leaking intake pipe or holding tank. The removal of an old malfunctioning water heater requires the expertise of professional plumbing services. In addition to knowing how to work on pipes, the plumbers must understand how to turn off the natural gas or the electricity correctly. After the old water heater is removed from your home, the plumbers can install a new water heater. If you want to avoid wintertime water heater problems, then care for the appliance by wrapping it in a special insulating blanket.
Septic Tank Backups
If your home is in a rural area, then you likely have a septic tank. This device requires regular maintenance so that it will perform optimally, especially during the winter. It isn’t a good idea to wait until winter to have a septic tank inspected and repaired. Maintain a regular maintenance schedule so that the septic tank will continue to work correctly through the freezing temperatures outside your home.
Last, you may ignore the water lines on your property that are located beneath the soil, but these items can break during the winter. Avoid piling large amounts of snow on the soil that is above the water lines so that the items aren’t damaged from the weight of the snow.
