Winter is on its way, and in the Denver area that means freezing cold weather and a host of potential problems for your home. Chief among them is the issue of frozen pipes, which ranks among the most common plumbing repair calls in the winter months. An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure as they say, and while a good plumbing service will always be on hand to repair such damage, it’s much easier to stop it from happening in the first place. Now is the ideal time to address frozen pipes before they get started.
Frozen pipes are a problem first and foremost because they block water flow to the affected outlets, which can bring your home screeching to a halt. But it’s worse than that. When water freezes, it expands, which means that frozen pipe put a tremendous amount of pressure on the interior surface of the pipe. In many cases, that can cause the pipe to burst, sending ice and freezing cold water into surrounding material like drywall. Frozen pipes are difficult to deal with, but burst ones can become very expensive very quickly.
The first step to preventing frozen pipes is to shut off the water to all outdoor outlets, such as the sprinklers, then open the valve to drain out the rest of the water. Then check your home for pipes that might be vulnerable, such as those running through an outside wall or those in an uninsulated part of the home like the basement. A good plumber can help you spot the pipes most vulnerable to freezing.
With that info in mind, the plumber can then add insulation sleeves to the pipe, adjust things like the water heater to keep the water warm, and even re-route piping in a dangerous location so that it runs much less risk of freezing during the winter.
For quality plumbing service throughout the Denver, CO area, call the professionals at Bell Plumbing and Heating today.
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