Get ready because winter is coming. Between the chilly weather and entertaining guests, your plumbing will be working overtime and it needs to be up to the task when the temps drop below freezing. 

The best way to prevent a wintertime plumbing issue is to be prepared. Now is an ideal time to winterize your home’s plumbing and learn what to do if your pipes freeze. Here’s our list of easy tasks to help avoid a plumbing problem. 

Keep spaces warm

Add insulation to walls, especially the attic. Check doors and windows for air drafts and make sure they’re sealed. Make certain crawl spaces are sealed off as well. This will help keep your pipes warm. 

Purchase pipe sleeves

You can find pipe sleeves at home improvement stores. Wrap them around any pipes that are not insulated or are in colder, damp places like the basement.  

Follow the 55-degree rule

During the winter, always keep your thermostat at or above 55 degrees, even when traveling and the home is unoccupied. 

Move water

When the temperatures reach the single digits, turn on your faucets and let the water drip. This will help keep your pipes from freezing. Don’t want to turn on all your faucets? At least let water move from the faucet farthest from your home’s main water valve. 

Weatherproof outside

If you haven’t already this season, head outdoors, remove all hoses from spigots, and store them in a warm, dry place to prevent them from becoming brittle and cracked. 

Next, open the spigots and let any water drain out. Then, keep an eye on the weather. When freezing temps are in the forecast, turn off the water leading to the outside. This will help prevent your pipes from bursting.  

What to do if you have frozen pipes

First, take a deep breath. If you are proactive and act quickly, it will help prevent your pipes from bursting. 

Next, give your pipes warmth by blowing a hair dryer on them (note: a hair dryer makes a great tool, so pick up an inexpensive one even if you don’t blow dry your hair). Resist using anything with a flame, like a lighter or blow torch. The key is to warm the pipes up slightly and slowly. If water in the pipes starts to boil, it can cause the pipes to break. 

Now, when the pipes have thawed, turn the water back on and let it run. Open the faucets and look thoroughly around the house – including the walls, floors, and ceiling, for any leaks. 

Allied-Reddi Rooter can help keep your plumbing working its best all year long.  Contact the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter.  We’ve been Cincinnati’s trusted plumbing company for decades and are here when you need help fast.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service.

Now that January is well underway and Cincinnati has had its first major snowfall of the year, it’s pretty safe to say winter is finally upon us — and it’s here to stay for a while. 

With the colder temps, new issues can arise when it comes to keeping our home’s plumbing, especially when it’s below freezing outside. That’s when pipes can freeze, and when they do, it has the potential of causing serious damage to your home if the pipe bursts. 

Not only could your walls and flooring get destroyed by broken, burst pipes, but the leaked water can create mold and mildew that can threaten your family’s health – including the health of your pets. 

Protect your home this winter from frozen pipes. Below are five signs to watch for to avoid a costly, serious home repair, tips on how to unfreeze pipes, and what to do in the event your pipes burst. 

Five signs you’ve got a frozen pipe    

There’s no water 

Let’s start with the obvious. If you turn on your faucet on a cold day and no water, or very little water, comes out of the faucet or tap, you’ve likely got a frozen pipe. Once you suspect a frozen pipe is the culprit, turn on every faucet slowly to see where the frozen pipe is located. If your home is older, be prepared for multiple frozen pipes once one has frozen. 

The temperature drops

You’ve got to have freezing temps for frozen pipes. Every homeowner, especially those with homes with older, more fragile plumbing, should be on the lookout for frozen pipes once it gets below 32 Farenheit outside. 

There’s frost on pipes 

Check any exposed pipes in your home including those in your basement or under your sinks. If there’s frost on them, there’s a good chance that it burst because water has accumulated outside of the pipe itself.  You should also check exposed pipes in the garage and in attics. Once you’ve detected a pipe with frost on the outside, shut off its water supply to avoid any additional damage. 

Damp walls and floors 

A frozen, leaking pipe can cause moisture in walls and on the floors. If you suspect a burst pipe in a wall, check for dampness or water stains. Also look for rings on the carpet, buckled laminate, warped wood, and water marks on the ceiling. 

Odd, foul smell 

When pipes get blocked due to freezing, your water supply can back up causing a bad smell from the faucets or drains. 

How to thaw a frozen pipe 

First, shut off the water to the section of plumbing that’s frozen. It’s also a good idea to have a bucket and mop handy in case, once the water thaws, it gushes where there’s a break. 

Call or Contact the at Allied Reddi-Rooter, 513-396-5300.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service.