Prepping Your Homes for Winter: Prepping the Pipes

As the cold weather heads toward the Northern states, getting your house prepped for the winter is an important part of protecting your investment. Below are some tips for preparing your pipes for the winter…

• Disconnect and drain garden hoses.
• Cover outside faucets with insulating foam covers.

• Turn off water to outside faucets, if available, and open valves on faucets to allow them to drain.

• Turn off sprinkler system and blow compressed air through the lines to drain them.

• Close or cover foundation vents under house and windows to basements.

• Close garage doors.

• Insulate exposed pipes (both hot and cold) under house with foam pipe insulation.

• Open cabinet doors under sinks.

• Drip hot and cold faucets in kitchen and bath. Drip single control faucets with lever set in middle

• Set icemaker to make ice if the water line to it runs under the house.

• Don’t forget to check on pipes to your washing machine in the laundry room

• Locate water main cut-off valve, and have a cut-off key handy.

• Use a hair dryer, heat lamp, electric heat tape, or a portable space heater to thaw frozen pipes that have not burst.

• Keep the faucet open when thawing frozen pipes to allow water to begin flowing through it.

• After the weather has warmed above freezing and any frozen pipes have thawed, turn off dripping faucets and monitor your water meter to check for unseen leaks.

Looking to know more about what is happening in your community? MyTownGurus.com is your solution. From local events, reviews, recipes, homeowner tips, and more, My Town Gurus has you covered. The Official Real Estate Town Guru for your town has been selected because they know your town better than anyone else. Looking to buy or sell? Choose your Official Town Guru by going to MyTownGurus.com and finding your town or call 877-203-9588. No one knows everything happening in your town like the Town Guru!