Winterize Your Plumbing
You’ve probably gotten that heavy coat out of the closet by now and the gloves too.
Your plumbing is patiently waiting for you to break out the heavy coat and gloves for it as well. At least its being patient for the moment … frozen pipes is the kind of tantrum it throws when ignored!
Lets go through some of the things you can do to keep your plumbing well behaved throughout the winter.
Winterize Plumbing Tip Number 1- DISCONNECT THE GARDEN HOSE!! Yep, big bold capital letters because we really want to make a point here. The point is DISCONNECT THE GARDEN HOSE!! Hoses don’t drain themselves so when that water freezes in the hose, somethings gonna break somewhere and often its the facet because the water hangs out right by the faucet when the hose is wound up. Whatever it is that breaks, its not going be good news for you.
Winterize Plumbing Tip Number 2- Covers for outdoor faucets. Simple, cheap, easy to do. Not a guarantee, but a good start. You might want to consider “frost free” outdoor faucets. Once installed, they can be a real trouble saver and we can tell you how to save some money and install a frost free faucet yourself.
Winterize Plumbing Tip Number 3- Insulate any exposed pipes. Yeah, this is “keep the pipes from freezing 101” but what you might find educational is all of the options you have for keeping pipes from freezing.
- Fiberglass wrap
- Foam insulation wrap. Comes in six foot lengths and and is split so you can slide in onto the pipes. Many of these require tape of some kind or a hot glue gun but your Grover store now carries a “self sticking” variety thats much easier to work with.
- Heat tape. Its thermostat controlled, very low wattage and a good choice for colder areas like a pump-house or other out building.
Winterize Plumbing Tip Number 4- If you think its a hassle to avoid having your pipes freeze, trying dealing with frozen pipes. It makes preparation look like a vacation!