Follow these steps to get your plumbing in better shape for winter.
- Turn off your outdoor hose bibs. Turn off your outdoor hose bibs from the indoor hose bib shutoff and drain out the water, don’t forget to drain out the water! Covering the outdoor faucet will also help. Also don’t forget to unscrew your hoses from the hose bibs and drain the hoses.
- Blow out your irrigation system. Blow out your sprinkler lines and heads with a high flow air compressor
- Clean your gutters. Excess matter and debris clogging your gutters can cause spillage onto walkways that may freeze causing slippery conditions.
- Don’t wait any longer to fix leaks. Leaks do not get smaller on their own, and freezing temperatures make them much worse!
- Protect pipes in unheated areas. There are many types of protection available for freeze protection today. From simple foam wrap tape, preformed fiberglass insulation, and electric heat wrap tape with built in thermostats that will automatically turn-on when temperatures reach below a certain set point.
- Have your water heater serviced. People spend more time indoors in the winter and hot water tanks have colder water running into them, both causing the tanks to work much harder to reach their desired temperatures. At the bare minimum drain and flush the tank yearly, or ask us to service the tank while we are servicing your furnace or fireplace. It will keep your tank running optimally and efficiently, saving on your gas bill.
- Leaving for winter? Have us over to shut down the plumbing part of your home safely. Coming home to a disaster is just that, a disaster!
- Check and service your heating system. No heat equals frozen pipes, enough said?
- Know where the main shut off valve is! Make sure that everyone knows where the main shut off valve is and that they know how to get to it and how to use it, quickly. When a pipe bursts, the faster the water gets turned off and is drained, the less damage to the home overall! A quick response can save thousands of dollars in damage to your home, don’t make it difficult to get to your shut off. Please read our blog on water damage tips for more information.
Call BC Redi Rooter LTD. If you are in need of plumbing, or heating help or service please call us at 604-217-2268 or 778-888-9184
