Home Plumbing: Some Practices Your Pipes Will Appreciate

It is possible to avoid the confusion of home plumbing if homeowners take some precautions and conduct proper maintenance. Prevent a visit from an expensive plumbing repair provider and demonstrate a little love for your home plumbing system this Valentine's Day by engaging in these basic activities offered by residential plumbers:

1. Check for leaks:- If not promptly detected or taken care of even the slightest leak in your faucets and pipes will lead to unmanageable flooding. The resultant damage can entail extensive repairs to the home and plumbing, which may be very expensive. Therefore all exterior walls, unheated cellars, garages and crawl spaces should be tested, particularly those areas which lack insulation. Little or no insulation makes tubes more sensitive to the materials and are thus more prone to break and spill. It would also be good to get in touch with a residential and certified plumbing company as they can give you a rundown of how the leaks over the winter can be planned and managed.

2. Drain and insulate- Before winter sets in, it is a must to drain and insulate all outside faucets and pipes in your home plumbing system as any water that gets stuck in those pipes will freeze, expand, and eventually crack, smash, or burst the pipes. Securing these external pipes will help you avoid coping with damage to property and uncomfortable maintenance to plumbing.

3. Areas of Weatherproof Trouble- The next step is to search for areas of uncovered plumbing. To make sure their seals stay tight, doorways, walls, and vent fans should be tested. If a seal is loose, it can be patched with caulking to avoid the freezing of your home pipes. Often, make sure your broken windows are sealed as they will lead to cold temperatures getting into contact with the pipes and costly plumbing repair costs will result.

4. Insulate exposed pipes- You can ensure that your pipes are well insulated so that they can hold up to cold winter weather instead of closing off all ventilation at home, which can potentially contribute to mould formation. Insulating your home pipes is the way to go as a simple and cheap process. It can be as basic as adding foam tubing or towels around your pipes which can help preserve heat in your water heater (and therefore lower those expensive energy bills). With electrical heating tape, weak pipes near electrical sources should be shielded. A perfect option for having only enough heat to prevent the pipes from freezing is heat tape, which can be wound around the pipes.

5. Keep indoor pipes wet- You can not forget about indoor plumbing, as much of the winter home plumbing problems are due to outside pipes. During cold weather, indoor pipes will even freeze, but doing something like opening cabinet doors to expose the pipes to the heat of your home can help avoid complications.