Indian summer is upon us in the Midwest. Don’t be lulled into complacency and be caught off-guard and unprepared with your plumbing systems.
Old man winter has a way of sneaking up on us this time of year. Right now, right after you read this, go outside and disconnect all of the hoses and make sure there are no drips on your hose faucets. Even a tiny little once-a-minute drip can cause major springtime flooding when you start that hose faucet again so take a look now and call us if you have a problem.
If you have shut off valves inside the house for those faucets, shut them off now.
If you have crawlspace vents, cover them for the winter. You don’t need to insulate them, but cover them with heavy plastic or a wood insert so they are air tight until spring, when you should remove the covers to again allow air circulation during the warm moist months. The idea is to just prevent sub zero wind from contacting pipes and causing them to burst. Of course if you have a leaking pipe in the crawlspace, be sure that’s fixed before sealing the space off.
If there is any water piping in outside walls make sure that space is not left unheated. So don’t try to save a few bucks by turning off the heat in that extra bathroom that won’t be used this winter. That’s not a good idea.
Plumbing issues caused by old man winter can be easily avoided with a little effort in the fall. Give Yes! Plumbing a call (708) 847-7045 anytime if you have any specific issues you’d like to discuss or for help winterizing your home.
If you’d like more winter plumbing tips, check out our article on tips to keeping your plumbing safe this winter!