Given how the weather has been recently here in Kansas City, it may not seem like it, but the truth is winter is quickly approaching. As we near the end of September, it is never a bad idea to start considering which areas of your home could use some preventative maintenance heading into the colder months, as well as what you should remember to do once the colder temps settle in. And considering your plumbing system can certainly be impacted by changing weather conditions, guess what we’ll be talking about today?
For those that are visiting our blog for the very first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Here on the blog, we post weekly about various aspects of the plumbing world. Whether that be DIY tips, brand highlights or anything else, they’re all designed to make homeowners more knowledgeable about their plumbing systems. Believe it or not, even just some general knowledge about one’s plumbing can go a long way in preventing unneeded repairs and keeping everything running smoothly. As referenced in the previous paragraph, this week’s blog will walk through a few of the steps you can do to your own plumbing system to ensure you’re ready to go for the upcoming winter weather and tips for keeping it all in working order as the winter carries on. Let’s hop right in!
As always, if you live in the Kansas City area and are in need of some plumbing assistance, we’re always here to help! Our team of licensed and trained plumbing technicians possess the experience and knowledge to handle just about every plumbing problem out there. Give us a call at (816) 348-3481 to speak with a member of our team.
Disconnect Hoses
You’ve likely heard this one on multiple occasions, but it is certainly something worth mentioning. Make sure to disconnect any and all outdoor hoses and then turn off those outdoor faucets at the shut-off. The logic behind this is probably something you would have learned in a grade school science class. When water freezes, it expands. Thus, due to this, it’s going to occupy more space. And if there’s no space to occupy, trouble ensues. It’s as simple as that!
Long story short, if you have room to store them indoors, do so. If not, just be sure to completely drain them and then store them in a dry area, such as the garage or a shed. Failure to disconnect the hoses can easily result in frozen/bursting pipes and plumbing headaches for you, especially if there is still water sitting in the hose! Do yourself a favor and disconnect your hoses once you know you won’t be using them anymore for that season. It’s a quick-and-easy step that’s always worth the time.
Headed Out of Town?
Our next point will likely get more and more relevant as we get into the holiday season. Do you remember the extreme arctic blast that hit the Kansas City area in February of 2021? Sub-zero temps, frigid wind chills, it was definitely not the funnest of times for KC residents. Nonetheless, here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, it’s safe to say our technicians were quite busy dealing with frozen/bursting pipes. What I’m hinting at here is that you never know when we’ll experience extremely cold temperatures. So if you’re going to be out of town for a little bit, it’s never a bad idea to turn off your water at the main shut-off valve. While this won’t prevent every possible plumbing issue, it will at least limit the damage if something bad were to occur. Especially if you don’t have a family member or friend that’ll be checking on your home while you’re away, make sure to keep this tip in mind!
By the way, it may sound like a no-brainer to most, but if you are headed out of town, make sure to also keep the heat on inside while away. You will have some added energy costs from heating a home while nobody’s there, but if it prevents you from dealing with a plumbing emergency, it’s well worth it!
Leave Cabinet Doors Open
As you may start to notice, the primary winter plumbing problem that you need to be mindful of involves pipes freezing. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, they can freeze for a few different reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of various tactics you can implement to improve your odds of keeping everything in working order. Yet another one of these that you’ve likely heard before is leaving the cabinet doors under your bathroom or kitchen sink open. Will this provide complete protection? Not necessarily. However, this is an easy way to make sure some of the heat in your home is reaching those pipes that aren’t insulated under your sinks.
Add Some Insulation
While the previous two points (turning off the shut-off valve and leaving cabinet doors open) were primarily tips you’d implement during the actual winter season, our next one is something you could knock out before winter commences. To provide a brief synopsis, there are certain areas of your home that are more susceptible to frozen and bursting pipes. Unsurprisingly, many of these places with increased odds of frozen pipes are spots that don’t receive as much heat. Basements, crawl spaces, you name it. Having said that, the piping in these areas could use a little bit of help to survive the cold winter months. That’s where piping insulation comes into play. You’ll notice it’s sold at just about every major hardware store and is generally easy to get your hands on. For those exposed pipes, it may be wise to install some added insulation!
Let the Water Drip During the Night-time
Going back to the theme of tips that you’ll want to keep in mind throughout December, January, February and so on is a reminder to leave your faucet on a slow drip during those particularly cold nights. This one goes hand-in-hand with leaving your cabinet doors open and is intended to prevent the pipes from freezing. This will help limit the odds of any pipes freezing or bursting. Keep in mind that it certainly doesn’t have to be running at full steam, but rather a slow trickle will surely do the trick. As we mentioned with the slight increase in heating costs above, this tip could also easily result in a slightly higher water bill. However, that increase will pale in comparison to the potential repairs you could be faced with if the pipes were to freeze and then burst. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to household plumbing!
Need a Plumber? Call Stine-Nichols!
We hope you enjoyed checking out a few of our favorite winter plumbing hacks! While many of these tips have been around for quite some time, there’s a reason why they’ve stuck for so long and that’s because they work. If unprepared, changing weather conditions can easily wreak havoc on one’s plumbing system. Luckily, many of the steps that can help limit the potential damage are fairly easy to knock out (as evidenced by this blog post). However, in the instance that you still experience a plumbing problem, you’re always more than welcome to give our team at Stine-Nichols a call! Our trained technicians are equipped with the knowledge to knock out any residential or commercial plumbing problem there is. To learn more and request a free quote, feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE.