Helping Homeowners Prevent Winter Plumbing Problems
Seasons change, the temperatures drop down and you encounter plumbing problems. Everybody can relate to this issue. We are resolving the most common issues relating to plumbing during the winter time. In some instances, you might feel like you can manage on your own, but some more serious issues will require a professional plumbing service.
- Grease in Your Drain Pipes
The winter time requires heavier types of food that contain excess grease. Also, the colder seasons bring a lot of holidays and festivities that bring all the food lovers together. Of course, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge or shoved down the garbage disposal. Unfortunately, the grease in your pipes might cause some problems and get them clogged. There are a few things you can do.
- If you want to save some coins, you can save and re-use the grease. Just take any old container, cool the grease or freeze it. Use it for cooking. That way your pipes won’t get clogged and you will save some time and money.
- Just throw the grease. Make sure you cool the grease, put it in a sandwich bag and throw it away.
- Vinegar is your friend. Take some vinegar and pour it down your drains. Allow it to sit for a few hours. Wash the vinegar away with hot water.
2. Outdoor Pipes Freezing
Outdoor pipes are the first to go when it comes to the temperature drop. To really prevent them from freezing, you need act fast right before they drop. Turn off the outside water by pressing the shut-off valves. They are usually placed under the sink or in the basement. This prevents them from cracking and freezing in the winter time.
If you don’t know where your shut-off is located, call the Ridgefield park plumbing company to help you with the winter plumbing problems.
3. Indoor Pipe Freezing
There is a simple solution when it comes to your indoor pipes freezing. Make sure you maintain the temperature of your house above 13 degrees when temperatures drop down. You need to maintain that temperature even if you are not at home.
There is a probability that your pipes are located near an outside wall in the cabinets. Open the cabinets at night so that takes some of the heat to avoid your pipes from freezing. If you are experienced low pressure when you run water during the winter, your pipes are probably frozen. Frozen pipes can cause a lot of problems like bursting and making a mess or even hurt someone. If your pipes freeze, it’s time to call plumbers bergen county nj
4. Basement Floods
Check your drainage area when it starts snowing to make sure that the drainage is not blocked with leaves left over from the autumn time. Check the drainage after the snow falls but this time check if the drainage is not clogged with ice or snow.
5. Water Heater Problems
Water heaters usually lose efficiency when the temperatures drop down during the winter time. If you have problems with low efficiency with your water heater start by insulating the room what your water heater is placed. Some people always insulate the water heater, no matter what season it is. Water heaters can be dangerous if they aren’t installed the right way. They can be life threatening by causing a fire hazard.
You should drain the water heater of sediment so that you improve your heater’s efficiency. Just follow these basic steps for a proper water heater repair:
- Cut the power
- Turn off the cold water supply
- Turn on the hot water supply in any sink
- Take a hose and attach it to the spigot at the lowest part of the hot water heater
- After that, open the spigot and start draining the water into a drain or a bucket. You will notice that the water will be dirty in the beginning. Drain until the water clears up.
- After the water heater has been drained completely of the sediment, close the spigot.
- Next thing you need to do is turning on the cold water supply to the water heater.
- Turn back on the power to the unit after the tank is full.
6. No Hot Water At All
Who doesn’t want to come home after a long day at work during the winter time and take a hot shower? Everybody does. If your water heater doesn’t seem to produce hot water that’s when you need to leave some extra time between showers to let the temperature of the water to build back up again. Keeping the water heater a little higher than usual is the best solution to avoid this issue.
Keeping your pipes healthy and in good condition is crucial for the overall quality of the pipes. The more you maintain them and take care of them, the longer you will have them. Whether you call a professional or try to solve these problems on your own, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure that your pipes are well taken care of.
