5 Fall Plumbing Tips From Best Plumbing Heating & Air Inc.

Fall is in full swing, which means freezing temperatures are right around the corner. Every winter, our plumbing experts tend to dozens of home plumbing issues and mishaps. To prevent a surprise home flooding or big repair bill, try these five tips:

Perform basic maintenance on your water heater.

Flush sediment from bottom of Water Heater by shutting of the main cold water supply on top of heater. Connect garden hose to drain outlet on bottom of heater, and draw off several gallons of water.

Know where the water main valve is.

Take a minute to show everyone in your home where the main water valve is and how to shut it off if necessary. Just knowing this can help prevent gallons of water from flooding your home, should a pipe burst or break.

Insulate your pipes.

Look around your home (especially in the basement) and find the pipes that are openly exposed. Since these pipes are left open to cold air, they have a greater chance of bursting. By insulating them with fiberglass, pipe sleeves, or insulation tape, you’ll keep them warm and free-flowing throughout the winter.

Shut off all isolation valves to outside hose bibs.

Leave valve out to drain out remaining water.

Disconnect outdoor hoses.

Because garden hoses are made from rubber, constant freezing and thawing weakens them and could cause them to crack. Instead of keeping them outside, disconnect them from your spigots and drain them. Then, store them somewhere that doesn’t get below freezing.

If you are having problems doing any of the above tips or would simply like a professional to do them for you. Simply call our office at (845)471-3626 to set up an annual plumbing service agreement and we would gladly take care of them for you.

Maintain your gutters.(extra tip even though we don’t service gutters)

It’s fall, which means there are leaves everywhere – including your gutters. Make sure you clean out your gutters on a regular basis because once winter hits, any gutter debris that freezes could block water drainage (and lead to lots of problems).