Hello World! Welcome Friends! Taking care of your plumbing is an absolute must for any homeowner, but what about those of us who aren’t exactly used to cold climates? For example, if you’ve lived in Miami all of your life and suddenly find yourself relocating to Montreal, the concept of winterizing your home is probably completely foreign to you.
Cold weather can take a massive toll on your home if you don’t take the proper precautions. Your plumbing is especially prey to problems: failing to winterize your pipes could result in massive damages and headaches for unsuspecting homeowners. Such headaches include pipes bursting and water damage, the repairs of which can be incredibly costly despite being totally preventable.
Some of the crucial steps to winterizing your home are easy to overlook if you’re not used to the climate. Consider the following tips as essentials to keeping your plumbing safe regardless of the hash conditions outdoors.
Mind Your Antifreeze
Before choosing your non-toxic plumbing antifreeze solution, bear in mind that not all antifreeze is created equal. For example, consider the following before you choose a solution to use on your pipes:
- The lowest advertised temperature your antifreeze claims that it’s able to handle, otherwise it may get too cold for your solution to properly work its magic
- Whether or not your solution is safe for specific types of pipes: for example, most antifreeze is not suitable for acetate pipes
- How much antifreeze you actually need: for example, toilet tanks need much more antifreeze versus shower drains and sinks
In short, don’t just grab an antifreeze off the shelf and assume that the job is done. Plan accordingly before making your antifreeze purchase to ensure that you invest in a solution that makes sense for your home’s situation.
Take Special Care with Your Toilets
As noted, toilets need the most attention for winterizing due to the sheer amount of plumbing they cover in any given home. The simplified steps to winterizing a toilet are as follows:
- Fully drain the water from your toilet tank prior to shutting off your water valve
- Add antifreeze to the tank based on the specifics instructions listed on your solution
- Flush the antifreeze until it’s completely out of the toilet bowl and your system is totally drained
As always, chemical safety precautions are always a plus when dealing with any type of antifreeze.
Externally Prep Your Pipes
Plumbing can be quite fickle in sub-freezing temperatures. Beyond the use of antifreeze, there are additional steps you can take to prep your pipes for the winter. For starters, you can also…
- Wrap your problem pipes with heat tape or a sleeve from your local hardware store
- Leave a faucet running at a low pressure during especially cold nights: this flow ultimately keeps the pipes from bursting in case of blockage
- Keep your cabinet doors open in your bathroom and kitchen to allow heat from your home to help warm areas around your pipes which may be susceptible to freezing
Winterizing your home is something you can’t afford to ignore, even if you aren’t totally accustomed to the cold. By keeping these tips in mind, you can sleep sound and know that your plumbing is safe when winter rolls around.
Thank you for stopping by! In case you missed the reveal of my breakfast nook for the One Room Challenge, you can get all of the details HERE. Have a gorgeous day/night depending on where you are in the world. Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
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