How To Winterize a Plumbing System Before It Freezes

Are you concerned about the risk of your plumbing freezing this winter? Frozen pipes affect tens of thousands of homes across the United States and are especially common in Ohio, where winter lows regularly dip below freezing. If your pipes freeze, you won’t be able to use any connected faucets or water fixtures. Even worse, a frozen pipe may burst as the water turns to ice and expands.

With over 100 years of experience, you can depend on Heart of Ohio to ensure your home’s plumbing doesn’t freeze this winter. We’re also available 24/7 should you ever have a pipe freeze or need professional pipe repair in Akron, Cleveland or anywhere else in Northeast Ohio. Here are some of the most effective ways to prepare your plumbing system before winter arrives.

Shut Off and Winterize Outdoor Plumbing

The first and most important winterizing measure is shutting off any pipes that feed outdoor fixtures, like hose bibs. Standard bibs have a shut-off valve located down the water line from the bibs themselves. Generally, you’ll see the valve just below the bib. Turn off the water with the valve, and then open the bib so it drains out any excess water that may still be in the pipes. Leave the water open so any residual moisture that may collect can find its way out of the pipes instead of freezing there.

Frost-free bibs reduce the need for this step, though. By moving the shut-off valve inside the house, the water stays indoors where it’s warmer and less likely to freeze. Meanwhile, the outdoor bib sits at an angle that lets any water that does make it into the outdoor segment drip away. Have your pipes already been damaged due to freezing weather? Reach out to the team at Heart of Ohio to schedule a pipe replacement before the next Ohio winter arrives.

Insulate Exposed Water Lines

While outdoor plumbing is most likely to freeze, some indoor water lines could also freeze. This is especially true if you have water lines running through your attic or underneath the floor in your crawl space. Since attics and crawl spaces can get extremely cold during the winter, you should ensure that pipes in these areas are properly insulated. Without being fully insulated, the cold air surrounding these pipes creates a high risk of freezing even when the main part of your house is fully warm.

Insulating your pipes can also help you in general, as it reduces the amount of heat that transfers through them. As a result, water traveling through your pipes is more likely to stay at its intended temperature, and you won’t need to turn up the water heater to keep it at a comfortable temperature while keeping your utility costs under control.

Winterize Your Plumbing Before Leaving on Vacation

If you plan to leave your home for more than just a few days, you should winterize the indoor and outdoor pipes. Like with standard hose bibbs, this involves shutting off water. Instead of turning it off at each individual spigot, though, it’s best to turn the water to your entire home off.

Afterward, fully turn on all the sinks in your home, along with any tubs, showers, and other water-producing fixtures. Be sure to flush toilets fully as well until both the bowl and tank are empty. Essentially, you’re removing as much water as possible from your home’s pipes before they can freeze. You can also keep spigots slightly open to keep water moving and help prevent freezing.

Professional plumbers have the tools and experience to ensure your pipes contain no more water before you leave. The skilled local plumbers at Heart of Ohio specialize in the full range of plumbing services and are ready to help if you need any advice about winterizing your plumbing system.

Why Heart of Ohio Is the Company for Plumbing Winterization

If you need help to protect your plumbing from a freeze, you can count on the expert local plumbers at Heart of Ohio. We offer simple flat-rate pricing on all of our services, and we’ll also provide you with a free in-home estimate so you know what work is needed and what everything will cost. We also back up all of your work with a no-excuse guarantee so you can trust that we’ll do the job right.

For more information on how we can help you winterize the plumbing system in your Northeast Ohio home, contact us today.