It’s never too late to prepare your Fort Worth, Texas home for winter. Making sure the plumbing in your home is ready for freezing weather is an excellent way to prevent winter plumbing emergencies!
- Check your outside faucets to make sure they are off and have insulated hose bibs to protect your pipes from freezing during the winter months. You should also keep your hoses disconnected during the winter months.
- Review the location of your main water valve and the water shut-off valves for the other rooms in your home. Make sure your shut-off valves are in good working condition, and they are easy for you to shut off.
- Choose a temperature to keep your home at when you are away, but make sure that you allow enough heat to circulate so that your plumbing doesn’t freeze. Open your cupboards to get warm air to your plumbing. Also, shut off your water and drain your pipes before you leave.
- Check for corrosion in your water heater by inspecting the hot water that comes from your faucet. If you notice discolored water, have the unit inspected to see if it needs to be flushed or replaced.
- Make sure your gutters and drainage are clear during the winter months. Flooding can quickly happen inside and outside of your home if you have a clogged drainage system.
- Insulate the plumbing in your home that is left exposed to colder temperatures during the winter. If you have plumbing in an unheated basement or garage, wrap all the exposed pipes and consider heating the rooms during storms to protect your pipes.
- Keep your pipes and sewer line clean, so clogs don’t freeze and help your frozen pipes burst this winter.
- Use sink screens and proper garbage disposal usage to avoid clogged drains this winter. Collect the items that shouldn’t go down the drain with the sink screens, so you can help prevent an emergency plumbing problem.
