How to Perform
a Winterize
Inspection of Your
Plumbing
How to Prevent
Plumbing Freeze Ups
Introduction:
If you have a new
home you should
consider doing a
plumbing inspection
before winter sets
in. Just because
it’s a new house
doesn’t mean that
the plumber paid
close attention to
the details to
prevent all the
plumbing pipes to
freeze. Especially
those water pipes
that run into cold
spaces such as an
unheated basement,
a crawl space or
running to outside
faucets. If these
water pipes are not
adequately
insulated they will
freeze when the
temperature drops
below freezing.
Frozen plumbing can
cause major water
damage to your
home.
How to perform a
winterized
inspection of your
plumbing:
Your home
inspection should
include both the
hot water and cold
water plumbing. If
you have a hot
water boiler
heating system the
hot water pipes
that run to the
heating units can
freeze just as
quickly as cold
water pipes.
Hopefully, there
are no hot water
heating pipes
running in an
outside wall. Even
the walls are
insulated the
insulation may not
be adequate to
prevent freezing.
The best solution
for preventing a
hot water heating
systems from
freezing is to
insure that your
plumber has added
antifreeze to the
boiler. To
determine if your
boiler is
winterized with
antifreeze check
the boiler for a
sticker indicating
that it is
winterized. If you
are not sure that
it is winterized
have a plumber
check it for you.
If there are water
pipes running
through an unheated
basement or crawl
space, they should
be insulated with
pipe insulation. If
they are not
insulated you can
do this yourself as
a DIY project.
Plumbing insulation
can be purchased at
any home
improvement supply
center. The
insulation consists
of foam tubes that
rap around the
pipes and they are
very easy to
install.
All outside water
faucets should be
shut off from
inside the house
even though they
may be non-freeze
faucets.
By following these
instructions you
can prevent frozen
water plumbing
pipes during the
winter.
Related DIY
projects:
How to Remedy Common Plumbing Problems
How to Repair an Outside Leaky Faucet
How to Repair Leaking Copper Fittings
How to Replace a Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve