Pipe Freezing Prevention
Protecting Pipes from Freezing Weather in Charlotte
In Charlotte, October to November is a good time for checking that the house will get through winter. The foliage is dying down, and it is easier to see if there are any shrubs hanging onto your house. Brick and siding lasts longer without clinging vines or roots. Charlotte winters are unpredictable in knowing when the sub-freezing temperatures will be here, you haven’t a moment to lose to take steps to ensure your plumping pipes will be insulated against the sub-freezing temperatures. Because frozen water increases in size, a frozen plumbing pipe is in danger of cracking or breaking. Not only might your water flow be decreased or shut off when a pipe freezes, but after the thaw which will happen in Charlotte off and on all winder, you will develop a potentially very damaging plumbing leak as water pours out from the gap in the tube.
For people who will be away this winter for extended time traveling, or people who have unused upper stories in the home, it is specially important to have a plumber come out and winterize the home. In order to cut back on the fuel costs, most people lower the thermostat in unused rooms. This makes plumbing pipes in those areas particularly vulnerable to crystalizing. Just imagine returning from a vacation and discovering your precious carpets ravaged by a large flood brought on by a burst plumbing pipe and you can understand the paramountcy of winterizing the plumbing your dwelling. The positive news is, most all purpose plumbing companies provide a a pre-winter pipe protection plan, which can be specifically tailored to your home plumbing requirements. although every household and each situation is different, this is what a licensed plumbing company will do for you. Plumbing companies will begin by putting insulation all over exposed plumbing pipes, particularly pipes along outside walls, which are the ones most likely to bring cold air to flow into the domicile. homeowners who will be away for a long period of time most often set their thermometers at 40 degrees.
Now here’s the real preparation. When winterizing the plumbing of a domicile for homeowners who will be out of town for most of the winter, the plumbing company will drain all the plumbing pipes in the home. To accomplish this,, they will shut the power to the water heater and boiler, and shut off the gas flow to gas powered heaters. Next they will pour anti-freeze into the pipes, to protect them from bursting, even in the most frigid conditions. the plumber will add anti-freeze to the toilets as well. When winterizing the plumbing of dwellings with unoccupieid upper stories, a plumbing company can install, as needed, shut off valves to the plumbing pipes that bring water to the upstairs. For easy use, the plumber will change the valves from gate valves to ball valves, which require a simple 1/4 turn to close the water flow.
Every type of exposed plumbing pipe must be insulated, whether it is made of plastic or metal, as both types are vulnerable to freezing and breaking. Often galvanized pipes that break are the hardest to fix.
The cost for plumbing winterization varies from area to area and domicile to domicile, but it is cash well worth spending. Recent winters in Charlotte have been very unpredictable from warm to the most frigid on record over the longest time occurring in the last few years. Preparing your plumbing pipes for winter brings with it the security of knowing that your plumbing pipes will be safe all winter.
If your looking for a plumber in Greater Charlotte, Concord, Harrisburg and… Contact the plumbing experts at Pathmaker Plumbing: 704-773-7507 www.pathmakerplumbing.com
