Whether you live in a house, an apartment, or a mobile home (especially a mobile home), fall and winter bring not just colder weather but new challenges. Freezing temperatures can cause damage all over your property from the interior to the exterior and even underground, leading to massive expenses and even more massive headaches.
Luckily, it’s easy to stay ahead of the dangers posed by frigid weather as long as you’re diligent and prepared. We’ve gathered our top eight tips to get your home ready for the winter to keep you comfortable all season long.
Outdoor Hoses and Faucets
The first thing to do before it gets really cold is to drain your outdoor faucets and hoses, taking the time to wrap up hoses and store them properly. If hoses full of leftover water are left on the ground during a freeze, not only can they burst, they can cause damage to the faucet and pipes inside.
Basically, as a rule of thumb, you’re going to want to do anything you can to keep sitting water out of your pipes during freezing spells, especially in the night time, when it gets far colder and easier for the liquid to freeze. Frozen liquid equals bigger liquid which often leads to busted pipes.
Know Your Home
Different homes require different care with various necessary measures. For example, if you have an apartment, you don’t need to worry nearly as much about your faucets as you would in a home since apartments and condominiums typically have stronger, industrial-level pipes (you should still leave them dripping during big freezes, of course). On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you own a mobile home or RV and you take it to a colder area, you’ll need to take extra caution to make sure elements don’t freeze, such as exterior pipes.
Knowing your home and its details helps you be prepared for the coming winter days and all that comes with them.
Repair Any Leaks
Leaky pipes, gutters, and clogged drains are annoying but often livable issues, until, that is, a particularly cold period hits and causes havoc to those areas. Then, instead of a routine repair, you’re in for something much bigger.
Before the winter season begins, it’s a good idea to fix any leaks big or small, or call a plumber to inspect your home and do it for you. Especially with the timing of the coldest parts of winter, no one wants to spend the days after the holidays shelling out a few hundred or even thousand dollars on costly, invasive repairs. Do it beforehand instead.
Wrap and Insulate Your Pipes
One way to avoid the aforementioned breakage and subsequent massive repair costs is to make sure your piping – particularly any that are exposed and not underground – is properly insulated or, at the very least, wrapped during colder spells.
This is especially important if you have a mobile home or RV like we mentioned, which often hook up to exterior pipes for water supplies. Make sure you’re disconnected, drained, and wrapped before it gets frigid.
Tune Up Your Equipment
As with any appliance, but specifically, when it comes to your HVAC equipment and your water heater, various times of the year require specific types of care. Before the winter season, it’s best to get an expert out to inspect and tune up your equipment, such as your furnace and water heater.
Be Alert
During the spring, summer, and fall, one of the advantages of the warmer temperatures is you don’t even have to think about your pipes and if they might be bursting while you’re out on the town. In the winter, leaving your house for any period of time means being constantly vigilant if you are to avoid bursting.
When you leave town for the holidays or on an early spring vacation, make sure you are prepared by having a friend or relative leave your water dripping in the evenings to avoid breakage. No one wants to come back to their house after they’ve been away only to find water on the floor or in the yard and a big repair bill coming soon.
Contact Your Plumber
If you want to be sure that you’re ready for the winter when it comes to your plumbing needs, the best solution is to simply contact your local, trusted plumber. As the experts, they’ll check every nook and cranny of your pipes and water heater to make sure you stay warm all season long with no busted pipes to worry about.
To speak with one of our experts about winterizing your home’s plumbing, give us a call today. We’re happy to speak to you about how we can protect your home during the cold time of the year.
North OKC: (405) 895-6640
South OKC: (405) 237-1414
