Having frozen or burst water pipes certainly can impact your holiday spirit. Being without water is inconvenient and unpleasant. Before you wake up and realize your hot shower is not happening, the crew at FitzGerald and Sons Plumbing Company wants to help you safeguard your pipes and prevent problems to the best extent possible. Many homeowners have a false sense of security about the winterization of their plumbing because they have bought into common winterization myths.  

The Big Myths of Winterization:

  •       I turned off the water at the street and drained my house, so my pipes are good.

If you are going to be gone from your home for a period of time, overnight or over the winter, it is always a good idea to shut off the water.  If the water is off at the meter, you are assured a burst pipe will result in much less damage than if the system is left in the normal “on” state.  In our area it would be highly unusual for water to freeze under a slab, even in the coldest part of the winter.  But if the interior of the home is subject to below freezing temperatures for an extended period of time, frozen and burst pipes are common in this climate.  We always recommend shutting off your water at the meter when you are not going to be around at ANY time of the year.  

  •       I have all my pipes insulated, so they will be fine.

While pipe insulation is not necessarily a bad thing, without a heat source it is not enough to prevent your pipes from freezing. Some type of heat source is needed to keep the water above 32 degrees F in order to assure your pipes don’t freeze.  Usually, pipes in the interior walls of your home, even if no heat source is available, are not apt to freeze.  It’s the pipes in poorly insulated or non-insulated exterior walls, soffits, garages or attics that will freeze.

  •       I wrapped up my pipes with heat tape, so my pipes cannot freeze.

Heat tape can certainly be of value if you have exposed or unprotected piping.  The problem with heat tape is that most of the time when we have a deep freeze in our area, it is accompanied by ice or an unusual weather event that knocks out our electricity.  Without electricity heat tape is useless.  If you do use heat tape, make sure you carefully follow the installation instructions.  Certain heat tapes cannot and should not be used on plastic water piping without a barrier.  

If you are ready to winterize your plumbing, here are the best steps you can take to prevent plumbing emergencies:

  •       Get a Heat Source for Your Exposed Outdoor or Garage Piping

Set up the heat source to warm the exposed pipes in your garage or well house to help prevent them from freezing.

  •       Cover Your Hose Bibs and Shut Off The Water

You can purchase hose bib covers for a few dollars each at a hardware or home improvement store. Locate the hose bib shut off valve and shut it off during cold weather and open the hose bibs and leave them open.  

  •       Make Sure Your Cabinets on Exterior Walls Hiding Pipes are Left Open

If your kitchen or bathrooms are located on an exterior wall, open the cabinets to allow your home’s heat to reach the pipes. You could prevent a freeze by taking this one simple step.

  •       Leave Some Water Running if The Temperature Drop is Extreme

You do not need to leave every faucet or spigot running, but you will need to turn on a few throughout your home at a trickle. This might raise your water bill some, but the price is still a lot less expensive than a plumbing emergency.

If the winter wonderland turns your plumbing into a nightmare, give FitzGerald and Sons Plumbing Company. We have 24/7 plumbing services available to help right when you need us!