Get Your Home’s Plumbing System Ready For The Cold

As a homeowner you know how important it is to keep all of the systems in your home working properly. This is especially important during the winter season. Whether you own a home, are looking to buy, or you have rental properties, one of the most important systems to keep an eye on during the cold weather months is the plumbing system.

In the yard of your home, buried under the ground, is an entire configuration of pipes, fixtures, and fittings that all work together to bring clean water to your home for use in the kitchen, shower, and laundry rooms as well as to carry used water away from your home and out to the city sewer system.

Here are a few of the more common plumbing issues that should be addressed before the temperatures drop:

• A toilet that is acting up might seem unimportant. However, the issue that is causing the toilet to act up is the real problem and, if left unrepaired, could escalate to a major issue when the weather starts to turn cold. Before you reach for a jug of over the counter drain cleaner, call a professional plumber and schedule an inspection. Having a sewage leak or back up during a cold snap is the last thing you want to be dealing with.
• A sink, shower, or bathtub drain that has a foul smell coming from it doesn’t always mean that there is a clog or, something in the line. It can also mean that the p-trap is void of water or, that there is an issue with the main sewer line or, the septic system for the home. This is definitely a plumbing issue that should not be ignored.
• When your water heater is overworked, it will stop heating water. Add cold temperatures to this scenario and you and your family have a miserable situation on your hands. Take a few minutes during the next few weeks to wrap an insulated blanket around your water heater so that the heating element is not working unnecessarily.

When the temperatures begin to drop, these systems are vulnerable to damage and wear because the cold weather can be very harsh. While the materials these systems are made from are very durable, Mother Nature cannot always be avoided.