3 Best Plumbing Fixes for The Winter

Plumbing Fixes for The Winter

Winter can be harsh on your plumbing system. The cold can wreak havoc on your pipes, your septic lines, and your water heater. A few preemptive fixes can keep all of your plumbing working perfectly and make sure that small problems do not lead to huge issues later on.

Make these three fixes early in the winter season and save your self a lot of time, effort and money.

1. Insulate Your Pipes

This is very important, especially as the winters in most of the U.S. get colder and colder as time goes by.

When the temperature goes below freezing for several nights in a row, your pipes are at risk for freezing. When your pipes freeze, the can burst, leading to flooding. The water from that flooding causes damage to your floors, walls, basement, crawl space and any other areas that have wood, dry wall, etc.

Having a plumber insulate your pipes keeps them safe from the freezing weather. This is a low cost fix and it will prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting.

2. Pump Your Septic System

Your septic system and the pipes that run from the sewer to your home are also at risk for freezing during the winter. Whereas a burst pipe in your home will lead to flooding, a burst sewer pipe will lead to a huge mess in your yard. It is unhealthy and will cost a ton of money to fix because a septic expert will have to dig up the entire pipe to figure out where the break is and how to fix or replace it.

Pumping the system in the beginning of winter helps keep the tank low so that any damage is minimized.

If your plumber offers it, look into trenchless pipe lining, as this will keep the pipe safe from breaking without digging up your yard.

3. Service Your Water Heater

The last thing you want is for your water heater to break down when it's freezing cold out!

Have your plumber do a full service inspection of the unit.

Why?

Because water heaters have a lot of moving parts that work hard to keep your water nice and warm. These parts can break down easily. By servicing the water heater at the beginning of winter, your plumber can find and fix any of these small problems. This will prevent the unit from breaking down, costing you a ton of money to replace it.




By Steve Morris
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8849735