If you’ve ever needed to schedule an emergency plumbing repair service for your Camden County home in winter’s depths, you know that it can be a painful process. Many homeowners would probably prefer not needing to call an emergency repair service at all, but few may know the best ways to care for their plumbing as the temperatures begin to fall.
You don’t need a long, complicated list of things to add to your weekend schedule to prevent a plumbing emergency this fall and winter. Here are some critical steps to maintaining your plumbing this fall to prepare it for winter.
Disconnect and Insulate Outdoor Connections
If you have a lot of outdoor fixtures that feed sprinklers, hoses, or other things in your yard, you want to make sure you disconnect each from your home’s plumbing and let the water connections empty as much as possible.
You want to avoid having any water in these outdoor connections because they can quickly freeze and cause the pipes to crack in ways that can cause severe damage. If possible, cover the connections to keep them from the worst of the colder days that are to come.
Check and Insulate Pipes
Like the spigots and other connections outside, you want to do a full inspection of your home’s indoor plumbing. Your pipes are especially susceptible to freezing and bursting in areas of your home that aren’t insulated as well, such as the basement. If a pipe is leaking, even slightly, now is the time to repair it and install some insulating tape or covers to guard against more severe damage when winter comes.
Check the Water Heater and Sump Pump
Similar to your other plumbing, you want to do a full inspection of your water heater and sump pump to ensure both are free of any damage that could flood your home. With the water heater, you want to check all the connections, but you also want to flush the system to get rid of any sediment buildup that can increase the rate of corrosion of your water heater.
Like the water heater, you want to make sure your sump pump is clean and in working order before the winter comes. Doing this now will help prevent it from freezing up or clogging and creating a serious problem in the middle of the winter.
To find out more about plumbing maintenance this fall or to schedule a consultation with an expert plumbing service company in Camden County, NJ, call the Hutchinson team today!