Plumbing systems in Brighton, CO are an essential part of daily living. When the winter months roll around, plumbing can be negatively affected in several ways. This can pose challenges with daily routines and even cause extensive damage to homes. Let’s consider the different ways that seasonal changes can impact your plumbing system and what you can do about it.
Freezing and Burst Pipes
One of the biggest issues that homeowners face in the winter months is the potential for pipes freezing. When temperatures outside start to drop, the water in your pipes can start to freeze. This results in an expansion process that can cause pipes to expand, crack, and even burst. This can cause water damage around your home, ruining furniture, flooring, walls, and more. Water damage also increases the risk of mold and mildew growth in your residence. Mold is extremely dangerous, having the potential to cause respiratory issues, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness.
You can prevent frozen pipes in your home by maintaining an indoor temperature of at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit all winter. Even if you’re going on vacation or are gone for an extended period, never turn off your heating equipment completely.
You should promote ample warm airflow around the areas of your home that have plumbing. Leave open cabinets that have pipes inside. Prevent cold drafts around sensitive areas of your plumbing system. If inclement weather arrives, you can use a space heater to deliver gentle heat to areas of your plumbing system that are prone to freezing. Just be sure to supervise the space heaters, as they can cause a fire. Plumbing insulation is another great way to prevent water from freezing.
Increase in Clogs
Because you’re spending more time indoors during the winter months, you’re likely using your plumbing system more frequently. Cooking, cleaning, and bathing can lead to clogs in your pipes if you’re not being careful of what’s going down your drains. Clogs can eventually completely stop the flow of water. They can even cause your pipes to burst. Backflow is another issue that can occur because of clogs.
Freezing Outdoor Drains
If you have drains in your garage or on your property, they can quickly freeze in the cold winter weather in Brighton. This can prevent water from draining properly, leading to water buildup. This water can flow toward your home and foundation, causing interior water damage, structural rot, and so on. Make sure that your drains are always clear. Watch for signs of frozen water and debris inside the drains, like slow drainage.
Sprinkler Leaks
Your outdoor sprinkler system may experience a leak in the winter if proper winterization wasn’t performed in the fall. Any amount of water left over in the lines can freeze, causing expansion and damage. Like with drainage issues, this water can travel towards your home and cause damage.
Lack of Hot Water
The increased demand for hot water in your home can cause issues with your water heater. Have routine water heater maintenance performed prior to the start of winter. We will inspect all of the components of your heater, drain the tank, flush out any built-up debris and mineral deposits, check your anode rod, and inspect your pilot light. Even if you have a tankless hot water heater, it’s important that you use routine maintenance to keep your equipment running efficiently and reliably all winter long.
Using Preventive Maintenance
You can have our team periodically clear your drain and pipes to prevent clogs. This is a preventive procedure that we recommend is completed approximately once per year. It’s a good idea to have it done prior to the start of winter. We recommend that you avoid using chemical drain cleaners in your home. These products are made using very caustic chemicals that are dangerous to the structural integrity of your plumbing system. Also, these chemicals can irritate your eyes and sinuses, make it difficult to breathe, and burn your skin.
If you would like assistance with maintaining or repairing your Brighton plumbing system this winter, reach out to TYCO Plumbing for assistance. We also service water heaters, provide leak detection, install whole-house water filtration equipment and softeners, take on remodeling projects, install new water heaters, and more.
