You just know when you see the Christmas decorations start to creep into the stores, our warm summer days are winding down. Yesterday was the official end of summer. We’re not happy about it, but because of the tilt of the planet, if it were hot all year here in Canada…we’d all be in trouble.
So as we welcome the cooler weather, it’s time to think about preparing our homes for sub-zero temperatures.
Burst pipes or leaking roofs are avoidable if you pay attention to how water affects the inside and outside of your home. Here is a list of things to consider for the upcoming fall & winter season:
If you’re away, shut off your water main
If you are leaving your property during the colder temperatures (November-May) for any extended period of time, we recommend shutting your water off to prevent frozen & burst pipes. We also recommend that once your shut off your water main, run taps until the water slows. This way if they pipes do freeze due to loss of heat, there will be space for the remaining water to expand – thus preventing a burst pipe.
Clean your eavestrough (at the right time)
Even though this tip is not really a plumbing tip, it’s worth mentioning. You will need to clean your eaves from all the falling leaves. If you don’t, they will fill and hold water. Water in your eavestrough will freeze quite quickly since there is no heat source. When water melts from your roof and hits the eavestrough, it will immediately freeze in sub-zero temperatures. If your eavestrough completely freeze and the debris may block water flow. If this happens, the ice formed may creep up your roofline and into your home. We recommend cleaning them twice in the fall. Once after some of the leaves have fallen, and again once the leaves have stopped falling.
Disconnect your hoses and drain outside faucets
This is an important one…and also quite easy. Simply disconnect your outside hoses – we recommend taking off the spray nozzle and removing most or all of the water from the hose once disconnected.
On the inside, your outside faucet should have its own shutoff. Once you shut off this, there should be a drain release that allows you remove some of the water that remains in the faucet. The goal is such that the part outside the home contains no water that can freeze to expand and bust the pipe. Once pipes burst, they will continue to allow water to flow from the city’s supply…often indefinitely (ie. this is a bad situation)
If you need help with any of these recommendations, please contact us. Chasles Plumbing Professionals is always here to help.