Prevent Frozen Pipes

Maryland is known for two things—Crabs and CRAZY weather. Winter is coming and while we can all hope for the best, you just never know if we are going to fall into a deep freeze this year. Expect the unexpected and ensure your home and it’s pipes are ready for tough temps!

Leaking faucets, toilets, and hose bibs can be a hassle in the summer but a NIGHTMARE in the winter. Use these steps to ensure you don’t have to deal with frozen or burst pipes this winter.

1. Turn it off!

First, find the shutoff valve for your outdoor water supply. Usually, this is inside your home somewhere close to the hose spigot. You can also find it as an offshoot of your main water supply. If you aren’t sure, it won’t hurt anything to turn off the wrong one as long as you are sure to turn the main back on once you’ve found the right valve.

2. Disconnect Your Hoses

Hoses that stay connected are inviting trouble as they will freeze first and allow the cold to creep up your pipes and into the house. Disconnect each hose and allow it to drain which will help prevent freezing but also prolong the life of your hose.

3. Drain The Spigot

Now that everything is disconnected, open up the outdoor valve and allow any water to drain. Some valves also incorporate a drain for just this purpose. This prevents unused water from staying in the pipes and freezing down the road.

These steps usually prevent most issues but you can take it one step further by adding outdoor hose bib covers, insulating your pipes with foam insulation, or even applying heat wrap which supplies a small amount of heat to your pipes that are at the highest risk of freezing.

What if my valves leak or don’t work properly?

We get asked this question a lot. It is not uncommon for water shut-off valves and hose bibs to fail over time. If you noticed that a valve was leaking over the summer despite being turned off, it is extremely important to get that fixed as soon as possible before we get into the colder months. If you have any questions, please give us a call. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Save time, Call Prime 😉

When it comes to plumbing, always remember…Save Time, Call Prime!