Welcome to the first official day of fall! With that, the leaves have immediately changed colors, sweater weather blew in from the north, and everyone’s lining up for their pumpkin spice latte.
Even though that might be a slight exaggeration – except for the latte part –autumn weather is well on its way, and along with beautiful colors and crisp evenings come various plumbing issues that, if tackled now, will save you seasons of frustration. If you wait for too long, you may face anything from a frustrating afternoon cleaning out a clogged drain to burst pipes and thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. Before you empty out your wallet, here are a few easy precautions you can take to protect your home’s plumbing.
Outdoor Drain Cover
As beautiful as the autumnal foliage may be, you want it to stay on the trees and in your yard rather than find its way into your pipes. Make sure to stop by your local hardware store to pick up some outdoor drain covers and keep your plumbing safe from any leaves FALLing in.
Insulating Pipes
While you don’t really need to worry about frozen pipes until the temperature begins to dip below freezing overnight, it’s never too soon to prepare. Frozen pipes can burst and, depending on where they rupture, can cause tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to both your plumbing as well as anything damaged by the water. The easiest way to take care of this problem is to go to your local hardware store and pick up some self-adhesive pipe insulation, measure your pipes, cut the insulation down to size, then stick it on. An alternative method is to use newspaper and twist ties, which while it isn’t as effective, will do in a pinch. The pipes closest to the outside of your house are the most vulnerable, but you may want to insulate more of them just to be on the safe side.
Disconnect Your Exterior Hoses
Keeping garden hoses attached to your outdoor faucets increases the risk of frozen pipes, so you’ll want to disconnect all of them and store them in a safe location until spring rolls back around. Make sure to take note of any leaking faucets and call in a plumber to fix them in order to prevent unwanted icicles or frozen puddles from forming.
Check Your Water Heater
Hot water is important year round, but it becomes invaluable as the weather outside reaches ice age-levels. Check it for any signs of degradation – puddles collecting around the base, rust, or scale are all warning signs that need to be addressed right away. Your best bet is to call in a professional to inspect your water heater.
Not only can a professional plumber check out your water heater to make sure that it’s ready for winter, they can do a full check of your home’s plumbing to identify any potential problem areas. At bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, our team of professional plumbers are ready to assist you in your plumbing needs at any time of the day and day of the year. Find your nearest bluefrog Plumbing + Drain location by entering your address into our ‘Find My Location’ page, or give us a call at 888-794-0341 to schedule your free home consultation today.
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