WINTER PLUMBING TIPS TO SAVE THE DAY

The winter season is truly a season full of surprises and joy. Gifts, family, and not to mention the days off work. One of the surprises that aren’t so inviting, however, are those plumbing issues. Heightened by changes in temperature and weather, winter represents a time when you’re dealing with plumbing issues that, given the climate, you really don’t want to deal with. But with these winter plumbing tips, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and tools necessary to deal with any winter plumbing issues.

1. Perform An Inspection Early

You’ll want to make sure you troubleshoot any plumbing issues early. This will avoid potential catastrophes and incur a few repair or total replacements as well as extend the life of your plumbing products. This is an especially important winter plumbing tip. Your plumbing needs may vary throughout the season and as such, the extra strain on your appliances for more hot water and such may push your products to new limits. Making sure you have done the problem plumbing maintenance in advance minimizes the risk that you’ll have expensive hidden fees in the future and increases your general comfort and safety at home.

2. Drain Your Water Heater

Over time, the amount of sediment and other inorganic material in your water heater may start to affect how well your water heater performs. Especially during the winter seasons, this is problematic as this is literally the most important time for your system to function properly all year long. By draining your water heater, you ensure that there are no harmful materials that can scratch at or break your heater, thereby minimizing the chance of a damaged leak in need of expensive repairs.

3. Space Out Showers

A hot relaxing shower seems to be the best way to escape frigid temperatures if your home is a bit too cool for comfort. It doesn’t help, however, when the shower decides that it doesn’t want to supply any more hot water. To avoid this, space out when people take showers. It takes a bit of time for your home to heat up water for showers so giving it the time to warm up (literally) is one of the best plumbing tips to follow to ensure you and your family don’t have to deal with too many home plumbing problems.

4. Treat Clogged Drains With Extra Care

While it is good practice to clear up noticeable clogs in your home, this is more prevalent during the winter time as the accumulation of inorganic material can lead to expensive-to-repair (and more importantly dangerous) bursts in your home. As such, dealing with clogs as soon as they appear is an important winter plumbing tips to safeguard yourself against any arising issues of that nature.

5. If Traveling, Shut Off Your Water

If you plan on leaving Arizona, or even just your home, for a few days, consider shutting off your water. Especially because the climate this time of year has the potential of hitting freezing lows at night, you don’t want the potential risk of coming back home to deal with burst pipes. And on that note…

6. Provide Additional Insulation To Your Pipes

Not only should pipes be a concerned dealt with during travel, but it’s also an essential plumbing tip for both at-home and travel. It may be even more crucial to deal with pipe insulation while at-home to ensure safety for you and your family. Insulating pipes allow them to withstand frigid temperatures. The material is cheap and easy to apply.

7. Prep Your Outdoors

If you’re not using your hose often during the winter, it’s important to make sure you drain it as to prevent any surprise bursts. Additionally, any and all outdoor sprinkler systems should be drained as they can potentially be delicate and need a watchful eye over them. Especially regarding winter plumbing tips, this is key in ensuring your home is able to withstand any and all weather.

8. Keep A Small Trash Bin In The Bathroom

Trash is a major source of toilet clogs. By placing small trash bins and ensuring you regularly clear them out as need be, family and guests will properly dispose of seemingly harmless (but extremely damaging) bathroom products. As such, this will hopefully minimize the plumbing issues at home you’ll have to deal with.

9. Stock Up On Your Plumbing Tool Essentials

One of the best plumbing tips to consider is stocking up on the items to help you out. Feel free to check out a recent article we posted on the 6 MUST-HAVE essential toolkits here if interested! A few highlights from this article that should serve as essential plumbing tips include: 

  • An essential product for plumbing maintenance is the plunger. Invest in a toilet plunger for the toilet and a cup plunger for sinks and tubs. For obvious health reasons, don’t use the same plunger for both.

  • Get a wrench. It will help you troubleshoot small home plumbing problems. Don’t feel afraid to get into your sink pipes and such. These issues tend to be small and easily fixable.

  • Plumber Tape will come in handy when you’re in a pinch. There are different types, each with their own level of strengths which should help you out with all your plumbing needs!

10. Hire The Right Professionals

Sometimes the issues you need resolving may require some machinery, tools, or expertise that is a bit complex. Connecting with the right professionals who can resolve the issue for you is important in case trouble does arise. Feel free to reach out to us or call us at (602) 395-6034!