Domestic water pipes supply water to most facilities and need protection from adverse weather conditions. In most homes, pipe leaking and incidences of pipe burst occur during the winter due to the freezing of water inside the pipes. Warmer areas are also susceptible to pipe bursts due to insufficient water pipe insulation during frigid weather. A pipe burst can cause colossal damage to individual property. Therefore, homeowners should act once they detect a leak or pipe burst by shutting the gate valve. In addition, homeowners can implement the following tips to protect their pipes during all seasons.
Insulate
Homeowners can offer protection to domestic water pipes by insulating them. Homeowners should wrap insulation material around the line to maintain water temperature above its freezing point.
Repair Frozen Pipes
When the water inside the pipes freezes due to low temperatures, it expands and causes pressure to build up inside the lines, causing the pipe to burst. Therefore, homeowners should have provision for pipe repair to reduce water loss.
Keep the Cabinet Door Open
When the temperatures decrease, homeowners should leave the cabinet open to allow warm air to flow inside the cabinet to keep the water pipe warmer and prevent water from freezing inside the lines.
Detect Leaks
Pipe water leaks can destroy individual property such as carpets and electronics and cause cracking of floors. Therefore, homeowners should deploy technology that will assist in leak detection to correct the problem before it exacerbates.
Leave Your Faucet Running
During the cold period, homeowners should leave water faucets dripping a small volume of water. Although this could increase the utility bill, it helps ease the pressure inside the pipe when water freezes and prevents the line from bursting.
Check Home Temperatures
Homeowners should strive to maintain home temperature above those of the freezing point of water. Homeowners can install a thermostat in their homes to monitor the home temperature and provide a heating mechanism when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pipes bursting is a common occurrence in most homes, and it occurs due to lack of adequate planning. During the development of new homes, the owners should seek a local company, like J&S Plumbing Inc to implement mechanisms to protect the water pipes from bursting. This will also enable early detection of leaks and provide repair services. In addition, the partnership will reduce the cost incurred due to bursts of water pipers arising from adverse weather conditions.