The winter can be a difficult time for homeowners, especially when it comes to plumbing maintenance. Whether it brings you stressful Holiday gatherings, dangerous amounts of snow and ice, or just general freezing cold temperatures, protecting your home can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Home Service Doctors has been preparing Fairfax homes for winter for years and we have the best 4 things you can do at home, to maintain your plumbing during the wintertime.
Winterize
Always have your home winterized before the storms hit. Never wait until the coldest day of the winter to consider having your pipes properly winterized. Especially in Fairfax, where the temperatures often dip below freezing, it’s important to take the precautionary step that could prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting. A proper professional winterization will be far less expensive and painful than a flooded basement, trust us on that one.
Embrace the Drip
Even if you do properly winterize your home, embrace the dripping faucet. While it may seem wasteful at first, the water lost from the slow drip is far less than the water lost in a busted water pipe and flooded basement. Turn your faucets on, ever so slightly, to create a slow but constant drip. Do this in your bathroom, kitchen, and outside spigots. The constant flow of water will help prevent freezing.
Careful Cooking
When the Holidays are near, there’s always great food around the corner. That being said, be careful how you treat your plumbing in the kitchen. Never pour hot grease down the drain. It’s hot and seems liquid now, but as soon as it touches the cold pipes and water it will coagulate and cause major blockages in your kitchen sink line.
Also, keep in mind that garbage disposals are not trashcans, throw your leftover food in the trash whenever possible, and only use the disposal for small scraps that fall off your plate during washing. Never put starches, like pasta, down the garbage disposal either. These turn into sugar and can cause a sticky mess.
Home Service Doctors Inspection
The best tip we can give you is to have your home’s plumbing inspected by a trusted member of the Home Service Doctors team before winter hits. Preventative maintenance on your whole home will go a long way to making sure you have a cozy winter, rather than a wet one. Even if it’s a plumbing problem unrelated to the season, it’ll be much more convenient to schedule if it isn’t the day before a big holiday party or when there are 5 feet of snow on the ground.
Don’t Stress Over Plumbing Issues! Call Home Service Doctors Today for Plumbing Maintenance Tips!
Call Home Service Doctors today to make sure your home’s plumbing maintenance will get you through the rest of the winter without fail!