Tips to Protect Your Pipes

The most important ideas and tips to protect your pipes

Make sure your pipes are well-insulated. Pay attention to covering your faucets and all exposed pipes with insulation. If there are no insulation materials around, you can wrap thick towel clothes around them, especially during the winter.

Make sure the basement doors alongside openings to crawling spaces, and windows are well-secured. You can apply caulks, weather-strips and seals, to achieve this.

The external waterlines must be properly drained. This means all garden hoses must be removed from the outdoor water faucets, and all the interior valves connecting to the outside hose taps must be closed effectively.

You should endeavor to apply some electrically-operated tapes to your pipes. You must follow the manufacturer directives on this, or you can contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh for help.

Make sure your water heater is wrapped with a manufacturer-approved blanket. You can consult Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh before taking this step, especially if you are unsure of which blanket to use.

Other tips and ideas to protect your pipes

Learn to open your cabinet doors occasionally. Doing this will allow for the circulation of heat that will keep the interior pipes warmer.

You should also endeavor to keep your faucets running especially when temperatures are dropping below zero degrees. You can open the faucets by allowing a constant drip or some droplets, occasionally.

Do not set your thermostat at temperatures lower than 55 F, especially when you are traveling for some days or weeks. You can also ask your neighbor to check your outdoor pipes, especially when the temperatures drop below zero.

Make sure you have located your homes main water shut -off valve and make sure you know how the valve is operated, just in case you suffer from frozen or burst pipes.

Experts suggest that you should keep a hair dryer handy, to blow hot hair at the frozen pipe. You should aim the heat only at the exterior of the pipe and slowly apply the heat by moving it along the length of the frozen area.

Contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh for any pipe issue in and around your home

Perhaps the first step to take when you notice a frozen pipe is to switch off the main water shut-off valve, and then open the closest faucet to drain the water inside, as the ice melts. If you dont have a hot hair dryer, you can wrap wet clothes around the pipe but do not apply any naked flame around frozen pipes. If you notice signs of leaks, you should contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh as soon as possible.