The plumbing in a home made need a lot of repairs if it is not properly taken care of. One of the biggest threats to home plumbing is the cold winter temperatures.
If the pipes are not properly taken care of, the water in them will freeze and expand, causing the pipes to spring leaks and break. However, it can be a pain to take care of pipes in a home that you will not be using throughout the winter.
As a result, in the past, homeowners would turn down the thermostat and lock up the house for the winter, only to return in the spring to find that the pipes were broken. After this discovery was made, these homeowners began to turn off the plumbing systems before they left as well.
This helped to cut down on energy costs because they could turn off the heat, rather than turning it down. This process is referred to as 'winterizing your plumbing.'
To fully winterize your plumbing, there are several things you should make sure you do. The first thing you will need to do is turn off that main shutoff valve to your water supply.
If it is easier for you, you can contact your water company and have them turn off the water supply to the house for you. When this is done, you will want to go to the top floor of your home and begin turning on all of your faucets.
Work your way down through your house and outside. You should allow all of the water to drip out of the faucets.
When all of the water has dripped out, you will want to unplug the main shutoff valve. Again, you may want to contact your water company to make sure that you do this properly.
You should also let this area drain of water. To save on energy, you will then need to make sure you turn off the power or gas supply for the water heater.
After the water has cooled, open the drain on the water heater and allow the water to drain out from the tank as well. By making sure that all of the water is out of the system, you will be making sure that it does not freeze and expand, causing damage to the pipes.
You will want to make sure that you flush the toilets as well, to empty the bowls and tanks of water as well. At this point your water system will be freeze proof.
Then, you will want to take out all of the clean out plugs on sink traps. If you cannot do this, you will need to remove the traps.
Empty these things of water and fill them with plumbing antifreeze and water after you have replaced them. The ratio of antifreeze to water that you use should be the same ratio that you would put in your car during the winter if you were staying in the area.
Due to the design of the bathtub and shower, you will not be able to fully drain these things. To prevent freezing in this area, you will want to simply add a full quart of antifreeze.
In addition, you will want to make sure that you fill any basement floor drains or main house traps with antifreeze as well. The antifreeze you use in these areas should not be diluted at all.
However, you should not put antifreeze in the dishwasher or clothes washer. At this point, your house will be completely winterized.
Once you make the final preparations and pack up the final items, you will be ready to leave for the winter. In the spring, you will be able to return to a fully functioning plumbing system.
Another common category of problems that occurs in regards to plumbing has to do with leaks in the shower area. If the showerhead, leaks where it meets the arm, then you know that you will need to replace the washer in that joint.
To replace the washer, you will need to unscrew the head from the adjusting ring. You should then be able to pull out the old washer and replace it with the new.
If you have found that there has been an unnatural amount of mineral buildup in the showerhead, it is probably because your system has erratic or weak pressure. To resolve this problem, you will need to clean out the shower head.
It is also a good idea to take of the front plate and soak it in vinegar over night. This will help remove the buildup.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels is an accomplished expert in heating and air conditioning units and has been fixing them for 10 years. He has lots of advice for ventilating your home and techniques for HVAC Salt Lake City.
Contact Info:
Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
http://www.scotthale.com
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