One of the properties of water is that it expands in cold weather. This doesn’t come across as a problem when you’re freezing water in your refrigerator, but it may turn into a big trouble if the water in your plumbing lines gets frozen. It might turn into a potential disaster because frozen pipes usually end up cracking and then you have hundreds of gallons of water either wasted or spewing into your homes. However, there are measures that can prevent such catastrophe from happening.
Plumbing in Fort Worth, TX can also react in such a manner when the winter season arrives and your house plumbing is not ready to bear that kind of snowy winter. Fortunately, you can avail the professional services of plumbers in Fort Worth, TX who will guide you how to prepare your house plumbing for the next winter season. This way you won’t encounter any such mishap that will make you bear extra costs.
Here we discuss 8 such tips that you can make the plumber in Fort Worth, TX do for you so that your house plumbing doesn’t burst and your house remains secure throughout the chilly season.
1- Shut Off Outdoor Faucets
If your property has outdoor faucets installed then shut them off from their valves. Then open the faucet and the bleeder cap on the shutoff valve. Doing so will drain the water, if there’s any, out of the pipe. If you don’t drain the pipe, it might cause you problems in the winter season as it might get frozen and end up cracking. Leave the bleeder cap open with a bucket under it so it may collect any dripping water. This is to check if the dripping continues or not, if it does then your shutoff valve will have to be replaced by the plumber.
2- Install Sillcocks That Are Frost Free
According to the professional plumbers of Fort Worth, TX, the working parts of a frost free sillcock like its valve, washer and seat are located about 18 inches inside the wall instead of being on the faucet, which is the case with all the other ordinary faucets. Make sure the plumber installs the sillcock properly with a slightly downward pitch. This will ensure that the water is drained from the pipe every time you turn the faucet’s knob off.
3- Disconnect All the Hoses
A hose that is filled with water and is left outside during winter season will obviously freeze. And if the hose is still connected with the faucet the ice will reach up to it and might cause cracks in the wall as well causing the pipeline to crack. Thus, it is recommended that you get all the hoses disconnected from the faucets by the hired plumber and store them during the winter.
4- Cover All the Hose Bibs
Plumbers in Fort Worth, TX make sure they cover all the hose bibs of your house with insulated covers. These covers slow down the rate of heat loss from the pipes and they do not get frozen easily.
5- Install Heat Cables
The plumbing in Fort Worth, TX may involve some vulnerable pipes. That’s why plumbers install heat cables which are a perfect solution for all the vulnerable pipes in your house plumbing. These cables have a thermostat that can sense the temperature of the pipe and can turn the heat on and off as per requirement to keep the pipe from freezing.
6- Seal All the Rim Joists
A rim joist is an area from where it’s likely for the cold air to intrude into your house. So, you should ask the plumber you’ve hired to seal all the cracks and holes in the walls and the windows by using expandable foam and then let the plumber insulate these joists. This is very necessary and the plumbers in Fort Worth, TX make sure that they locate all the exposed holes where wires, cables and pipes pass through the exterior walls of your house and insulate them.
7- Insulate the Pipes
If you have plumbing that extends to the areas in your house that are not heated properly such as your attic, garage or the crawl space, get the plumber to install heat cables and cover them with pipe insulation. Pipe insulation won’t be sufficient to hold the cold air from reaching the pipes. In fact insulating pipes without heat cables has not proven to be very useful. Another way to prevent the plumbing in the unheated areas of your home like the garage is by insulating the garage door with the same combination of heat cables and insulation.
8- Prepare Your Water Heater
Everybody usually talks about preparing the pipelines and outdoor fixtures and faucets for the winter. But your water heater also needs to be prepared for the cold season since it’s going to be running for longer hours in the winter. It depends on what kind of water heater you’re using so you’ll have to call a professional plumber to inspect the heater and take the necessary steps to prepare it for the winter. The plumber in Fort Worth, TX suggest draining all the water out from the heater in order clean all the sediment and mineral deposit in it. While you’re at it, get the plumber to check your water heater for any leaks as well.
If you are looking for a professional plumbing service that can provide you with an absolutely skilled plumber in Fort Worth, TX who is perfectly capable of preparing your house plumbing for the winter season then call the helpline of Benjamin Franklin right away. You’ll see our team of professional plumbers is well equipped and well trained to deal with even the trickiest plumbing concerns. Our plumbers in Fort Worth, TX can be trusted to inspect the plumbing systems of your property with utmost accuracy. Also, based on their experience they can offer reasonable solutions to you. Moreover, they can prevent your plumbing and property from any further damage as well.