3 Fall Plumbing Maintenance Steps To Complete Now
As fall is in full swing, here are the three fall plumbing maintenance steps that you need to make sure that you complete before winter hits.
#1 Drain Garden Hoses
If you have garden hoses hooked up to your outside faucets, now is the time to drain them. You are going to want to disconnect them from the outside faucet. Then you are going to want to hold the hose so that it points downward or even hang the hose up for a few days to ensure that all the water drains out of the hose. If you don't get the water out of your hose before you store it for the winter, the hose could get damaged and ripped by freezing and expanding water inside of the hose.
#2 Turn Off Outside Water
Next, if the water lines going to your outside faucets have their own water control lines, you need to turn off the water control line to the off position. This will help ensure that your outdoor faucets do not accidentally get turned on during the winter months and get water inside of the lines; you don't want water in the lines as it could freeze, expand and damage your water lines and outside water faucets.
After you turn off your main water valve to your outside faucets, you are going to want to turn your water faucets to on. This will allow any water that is still inside of the water lines to drain out; just because you turned the water off doesn't mean that their isn't still water inside of the lines. This will help protect the lines.
#3 Insulate Your Outside Water Lines
Finally, you need to insulate your water lines that run to your outside water faucet if you have not already done so. Make sure that air can't get around the opening of your faucet. If there are gaps between your faucet and the inside of your house, use expandable spray foam to seal any gaps around the plumbing.
Then make sure that the pipes are wrapped with insulation material. You should be able to purchase insulation that you can wrap around your pipe from your local hardware store. You should also pick up some electrical tape to wrap around the insulation and hold it in place.
Taking these extra steps will help ensure that the plumbing that runs to the outside of your house doesn't become frozen during the winter months. Failing to take these steps could result in an outside faucet and hose that don't work come springtime. For more information, see website such as http://www.plumbersnohomish.com/.