Don’t let the cold catch you unprepared!
Each winter, many homeowners face the expense and inconvenience of frozen water pipes. But, with these simple precautions, you can cross that off your list of winter worries.
- Shut off and drain your irrigation system.
- This may seem obvious, but sometimes people take it for granted that their landscaper or lawn maintenance company has done it for them. It only takes a few minutes to check, and can save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs and water bills.
- Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses.
- Detaching the hose allows water to drain from the pipe. Otherwise, the ice formed from a single, hard overnight freeze can burst either the pipe or its faucet. Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas.
- If you have pipes in an unheated garage or crawlspace under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet.
- Hardware or building supply stores will have the appropriate pipe wrapping materials available. Seal off access doors, air vents and cracks.
- Repair broken basement windows that could freeze exposed water pipes.
- Winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes. BUT do not plug air vents that your furnace or water heater needs for safe operation.
- Know the location of your master water shutoff valve.
- In many homes it's where the waterline comes into your house from the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house this valve turns it all off and will save from water damage inside your home. So, find it now and paint it a bright color or hang a tag on it. Be sure everyone in the family knows where it is, and what it does.
- Always have a plumber's telephone number handy just in case you discover you have a broken or frozen pipe.
The main point is to take precautions before these freezing temperatures hit. This could save on a lot of unwanted damage in your home.
*Reprinted with permission of Truckee Meadows Water Authority.
Reno Handyman, Sparks Handyman
Home means Nevada
Call Soluna Home Services, LLC Handyman and Property Maintenance Services for Reno, and Sparks.
(775) 453-HELP
(453-4357)