With fall and winter ahead of us, temperatures are going to start dropping. And with cold weather comes an increased risk of frozen pipes, especially in the winter. This can lead to damage and even cracked or burst pipes, resulting in potentially costly repairs and replacements. If you live in an area where low temperatures are common during these months, then read on for some tips on how to prepare your pipes to handle cold weather.

Keep your HVAC working

In cold weather, the pipes inside your home should still be safe from freezing as long as your home is warm enough. Any issues with your heating system won’t just mean an uncomfortably cold home, but also potentially frozen pipes. Keep your HVAC well maintained and consider a professional tune-up before the temperatures drop to keep it operational throughout winter.

If you go away on vacation during the winter, you should leave your heating on while you’re away. Set your thermostat to a lower than usual temperature to maintain a bit of warmth in your home without wasting too much energy.

Insulate your pipes

You may have some pipes in your home that don’t benefit from your HVAC system, such as in your garage or basement. These will be more susceptible to freezing in cold weather. Wrapping these pipes in insulation will do a little bit to help retain warmth and keep out the cold.

Heat cable

In addition to pipe insulation, it’s a good idea to attach heat tape or heat cable along the length of pipes in unheated areas as mentioned above. Heat cable produces heat to warm up the pipes, with a built-in thermostat to detect when heat is required. Combining this with insulation will help to retain as much heat as possible.

Seal gaps

Where pipes pass through an exterior wall, there may be gaps letting cold air into your home, particularly affecting the pipes. Sealing these gaps with an insulator like expanding foam will help to keep the pipes, and your home, better insulated.

Shut off outdoor faucets

Outdoor faucets are much more susceptible to cold temperatures and freezing. If cold weather is forecast, you should drain water out of these pipes using the bleeder cap and then shut off the water to your outdoor faucets completely to prevent water from freezing inside them.

If your home plumbing needs maintaining in preparation for cold weather in Lewisville, Clemmons, Winston Salem, NC, then contact Brandon Plumbing for our services.