Protect Your Plumbing in Colorado Springs from Winter’s Bane!

Winter can transform the world into a beautiful wonderland that’s serene and calm, the ideal for an iconic holiday scene… or, it can freeze and blow and snow in a fury, to create serious health hazards and safety concerns! No matter what winter you’re expecting this year, it’s duly important to prepare yourself and your home for both side of the same coin, which means taking a step back to consider where you might be vulnerable.

When it comes to an overlooked home preparation item that can go terribly awry in the midst of the winter season, homeowners only have to look to their plumbing in Colorado Springs. Exposed plumbing, old plumbing, outdoor hookups and compromised segments of pipes can all face abuse as soon as the temperatures start to fall and can either ruin your magical winter wonderland or make a hard winter even harder.

Prepping for the season

Protecting your home’s plumbing in Colorado Springs isn’t as difficult or as invasive a chore as you might expect—in fact, it requires just a little bit of foresight on your part and can be accomplished in an afternoon in most cases. Take a look at some of the essentials:

• Drain and cover any outdoor spigot hookups and make sure to detach, drain and safely stow hoses. Then, turn off water lines leading to the outside.
• Locate any exposed sections of plumbing in your home (basements, plumbing closets, etc.). If these pipes are not insulated already, head to your local hardware store and buy piping insulation and electrical tape to insulate them properly. It’s also a good idea to pick up a simple wall thermometer to place near the pipes.
• Another way to insulate exposed plumbing—especially in plumbing closets—is to insulate the walls around the pipes. Simple foam board or fiberglass rolled insulation will do perfectly.
• Have your plumbing thoroughly inspected by a plumber to pinpoint any areas of concern and to fix any minor issues that you might not have otherwise paid any attention to.

The above steps are simple enough and require very little time and effort on your part, but can save you huge headaches and a boatload of money in the long run!

Planning for emergencies

On top of taking care of your plumbing, it’s also a good idea to have contingencies, in case the worst happens and you’re faced with a freeze that causes leaking or pipe bursting. A few good tips in this department include:

• Locate and familiarize yourself with your whole-home water shutoff valve. This can rapidly stem the flow of water in the event of a burst pipe and save you hundreds of dollars in water damage.
• Buy yourself a space heater or simple electrical blanket. If you read dangerously low temps on a thermometer near exposed plumbing, being able to quickly warm your pipes will get water flowing again and prevent ice damming.
• Have a trusted plumber on speed dial or handy, so that you can get the assistance you need without having to vet a bunch of different companies or look around for a reputable professional.

We can’t ever predict what the winter season will bring us, but we can do our best to stave off any problems it might present. Take the above to heart when it comes to your plumbing and make sure you and your home are equipped to deal with whatever winter throws at you.