The falling temperatures during the fall are a polite reminder that the winter season is not far away. This is the season when you should get your home’s plumbing ready for the fall. In this blog post, we’ll share 5 seasonal plumbing tips to help you, your family, and your home have a happy and safe winter.
Prepare for cold weather with our seasonal plumbing tips
Here are five seasonal plumbing tips that can help you to avoid plumbing disasters during the coldest months of the year.
1. Check the insulation around pipes
There’s no two ways about it: frozen pipes are an absolute disaster waiting to happen. That’s why one of the most essential tasks in the fall is making sure your pipe insulation is ready to go. Properly insulated pipes are not just less likely to freeze, but they can help your water heater work more efficiently, since less heat escapes from the pipes as water is transported through them.
Have one of the professional plumbers here at Reimer check both your inside and outside pipes to make sure the insulation is in good shape and not showing signs of deterioration. If your pipes do need new insulation, we’ll advise you on how to best go about that and what areas of the home need to be re-insulated.
2. Have Reimer check the water pressure in your pipes
Another one of our seasonal plumbing tips: check the water pressure. You can buy a gauge from your local hardware store to check the water pressure. Experts suggest that the water pressure should be between 40- to 80-pounds per inch (PPI).
So, what if you find that you do have high water pressure? You need to call Reimer. We have tools and ways to reduce the water pressure in your home’s plumbing. Excessive water pressure can result in damaged pipes, valves, and faucets. It can result in a pipe leakage problem and dramatically shorten the lifespan of your home’s plumbing.
3. Call our team for a leak inspection
When people picture leaks, they often imagine them in easy-to-reach places, such as underneath their kitchen sink. That’s because you don’t see many of your home’s water pipes, which are underneath the slab, in walls, or behind cabinets.
Left untreated, a water leak can destroy your home by causing all sorts of problems, ranging from structural damage to the growth of mold and mildew. That’s not something you want to be dealing with during the holidays!
If you suspect you have a leak in your home, contact Reimer for leak detection services. Our plumbers have specialized tools that allow us to pinpoint where leaks are. From there, we’ll talk with you about your options for fixing the leak and any damage that it has caused.
4. Have Reimer inspect your water heater
On a cold morning here in Buffalo, is there anything more important than a hot shower? That’s why one of our seasonal plumbing tips is to have Reimer inspect and maintain your water heater.
If you own a standard water heater, chances are that it will need to be replaced after approximately 10-12 years of service. If yours is getting up there in age, it’s an especially good idea to have Reimer take a look. Even if we advise a new water heater, that’s better than having yours fail on the coldest night of the year or, worse, having it burst and flood your garage, basement, or laundry room.
5. Get your sump pump checked
Your sump pump is the last line of defense for your home. Sump pumps help protect your basement from flooding, and it’s important that yours is in working order ahead of a winter full of snow and burst pipes.
Have the team at Reimer take a look at your sump pump to make sure it’s ready for the cold weather ahead.
Call Reimer for your plumbing needs in Western New York!
If you want to schedule a plumbing maintenance to get ready for fall, you can contact Reimer Home Services. We provide expert plumbing service in Buffalo and surrounding areas. Ourexperienced team of certified and licensed plumbers will do a terrific plumbing job for you.
