Four Ways To Avoid Common Winter Plumbing Problems

Four Winter Plumbing Issues to Avoid in Union City, NJ
​

Plumbing in your home has some particular difficulties in the winter. All kinds of pricey issues might arise as a result of the cold temperatures and their impact on the water in your pipes.

Fortunately, you may prevent the need for an emergency plumber by taking a few simple precautions.

We'll discuss the winter calls we receive the most in this piece, along with, of course, suggestions for how to avoid them.

​

Four Typical Winter Plumbing Issues

Here are the top four plumbing calls we receive during the winter:

• Cold Pipes
  
• Clogged kitchen sink pipes
  
• Lack of a water heater
  
• Affected Areas Near Outdoor Drains
  

About some of them, we've gone into greater detail elsewhere. We'll thus conduct a brief review of this article.

Cold Pipes
Whether or not frozen pipes are the most frequent call, they can undoubtedly be the most catastrophic. If a pipe bursts after the water has been backed up for a long time, it can quickly result in thousands of dollars in damage.

Clogged kitchen sink pipes
Due to the mix of low temperatures and holidays, we witness this frequently. Early in the winter, when people are entertaining, they cook a lot more. Consequently, more grease, fat, and small pieces of food are flushed down the drain.

These eventual group together, solidify, and freeze in the cold, resulting in a clog.

Lack of a water heater
It's a common adage for furnaces and boilers, but it also holds true for appliances: while they're working the hardest, your appliances are more likely to malfunction.

That is the winter for water heaters (as well as furnaces and boilers), when they must battle the icy air.

Affected Areas Near Outdoor Drains
After rain or snow, we frequently witness this happening. After precipitation, leaves from the fall often collect in groups and end up next to or around a drain.

This may prevent water from draining properly. Alternately, a clogged drain that freezes over results in standing water.

At that time, either the pipe is destroyed or your basement floods as a result of water accumulating just outside the pipe and penetrating inside.

​

Four Steps to Prevent Common Plumbing Issues in the Winter

Here are four quick strategies to stay clear of the typical winter plumbing issues:

1. Maintain an indoor temperature of greater than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
2. Take Precautions With Your Kitchen Sink
   
3. Water heater insulation
   
4. Clear outside drains.
   

Maintain an indoor temperature of greater than 55 degrees Fahrenheit

You may easily set your thermostat to be much warmer than that. And by doing so, you considerably lower the possibility that your pipes may freeze when it gets much colder overnight.

However, if it's winter, you might be tempted to leave the heat off when you're out for a few days. Alternatively, if you own a beach house, you won't be utilizing it for a while.

Even when you're not there, maintain the temperature. Every season, you might have to spend a little extra. However, a single pipe burst destroys much more than you might otherwise be able to save.

​

Take Precautions With Your Kitchen Sink

Next, be cautious about what you flush down the drain, especially if you are cooking for a large crowd.

Use it sparingly in the winter even if you have waste disposal. Those food fragments will eventually collect in one place.

Additionally, watch out for grease in the drain. Even though it may be tempting to wash everything at once, be sure to drain any oil or grease into a container and discard it.

At any time of the year, food and grease can clog pipes. However, there is a greater chance that such substances will freeze over and obstruct the flow of water throughout the winter

Water heater insulation

Next, make sure your water heater is prepared for the upcoming cold winter by doing a few actions. Insulating the area around it for the winter is a common tactic.

Its basic premise is that the appliance has to work harder the colder it gets.

Additionally, the water heater works especially hard to keep a tank full of water warm at all times because heat naturally gravitates toward cold locations.

Insulation can be added to lessen its burden. This retains more of the heat generated by your system inside the tank. So it will have to do less work overall.

​

Clear outside drains

Last but not least, if you haven't already, spend an hour or two tidying up after autumn. The leaves and yard waste that accumulate close to drains can harm the pipes that run beneath your property. Even your basement may be affected.

Water won't accumulate and begin leaking into your property if the rivers are kept clear.

Clean up the area surrounding your drains by raking and picking up any rubbish. Also, remember to occasionally check on everything.

Water will move dirt, trash, and yard waste toward the drain during rain or snowmelt.

Last but not least, periodically check the drain. Do you notice any standing water there? If so, there is most likely a clog.

That can lead to an ice blockage and other issues later.

When to Contact an Expert

You'll probably avoid all four of these issues this winter if you follow these four instructions.

Of course, there is no assurance of that. Furthermore, other things can go wrong.

So have a professional inspect your system if you detect water gathering before draining.

Similarly to that, if your pipes constantly freezing over, it would be a good idea to have someone look them over and determine whether any more precautions need to be taken.

You can schedule an appointment with Union City HVAC & Heatings at any time in the counties of Union City. We have a great reputation and have been serving the community for many years.

​