11 Tips To Winterize and Protect Your Home and Business This Winter
With winter just around the corner, it is vital to safeguard your home's plumbing from temperature changes and fluctuations. Winterizing your plumbing helps to save you stress and money in the long run when you don't have to worry about burst pipes, water heater disruptions, etc.
At Noble Plumbing, we help Snoqualmie Valley homeowners and businesses ensure their plumbing runs smoothly all winter. Below, we'll provide some essential tips to help you prepare for this upcoming season.
Residential Plumbing Winterization Steps
1. Know where your home water shutoff valve is located and label it.
In a plumbing emergency like a leak or burst pipe, you want to ensure you can shut off your water as soon as possible. Prepare by showing your family members where the water shutoff valve is located and how to turn it off. Water shutoff valves are often located near your water meter.
For added security, we recommended purchasing a water meter key for $15 (you can buy it here via this link) in the event of an emergency and your main valve doesn't shut off. The key will allow you to shut off the water coming from the street level.
2. Install a whole-home automatic shutoff valve.
Installing a whole-home automatic shutoff valve is essential. It detects leaks and shuts off the water supply before your home floods, helping to prevent catastrophic damage.
Installation costs can vary by home size and location, but many home insurers offer a rebate or discount if you have this installed. You'll want to ask your home insurer directly about this to make sure you're getting any available discounts. Automatic shutoff valve models like the Flo By Moen Smart Water Shutoff Valve are a great option.
3. Inspect your water heater.
Is your water heater over 10 years old? If the answer is yes, you may want to start planning for a replacement soon. Water heaters often last between 10 and 15 years, and we highly recommend replacing them if they are over 15 years old.
If you have a tankless water heater, you should be servicing it every one to two years to extend its lifespan. You can book this online here.
Water heater emergencies aren't just inconvenient—they're expensive. No one wants a freezing shower in winter, which is why regular maintenance is essential to keep your water heater running reliably.
4. Insulate & protect outdoor hose bibbs
We've received over 200 calls for broken hose bibbs this past year. Hose bibbs are vulnerable to temperature changes and freezing winters. Take these steps to make sure your bibbs are in good shape:
Disconnect any hoses from hose bibbs around your property and find somewhere to store them for the winter.
Place insulated covers over your hose bibbs. These can easily be purchased online or in various stores.
If you can locate the shutoff valve for your hose bibb line, turn it off and drain it for winter. The valve is usually located next to the water heater in the garage.
5. Locate any pipes that could be exposed to the cold.
As the seasons change, it is a good idea to take a deeper look at your plumbing system, specifically in uninsulated spaces like your garage or crawl space. If exposed to the cold, pipes are more likely to burst in deep freezes. Here's how to protect your pipes from the lower temperatures:
Make sure your pipes are insulated. You can do this by wrapping exposed pipes in heat tape or other insulation options. Heat tape, specifically, is affordable and easy to install. You can purchase it at Home Depot or, often, at your local hardware store.
Have a couple of space heaters on hand to warm these spaces in extreme cold, such as a deep freeze.
If you take these precautions, you can avoid the cost and inconvenience of replacing burst pipes.
Signs that your pipes may have been affected by a freeze are:
You are experiencing reduced water pressure. A lack of water pressure could indicate that the pipe is freezing in its early stages.
You're hearing odd sounds from pipes. Banging or clanking could mean that there is trapped air or freezing water.
You can visibly see frost on exposed pipes. Frost is a clear warning sign of potential freezing.
Additional Tips for Homeowners to consider this winter:
Keep your home heated consistently. Setting your thermostat to 55°F or higher is a smart choice even when you're away. The higher temperature helps prevent pipe freezing.
Let faucets drip slightly during freezing temperatures to prevent pressure buildup and freezing in pipes.
Ensure proper ventilation to prevent condensation buildup throughout your home, especially in areas that see a lot of moisture, such as your bathrooms. This can make all the difference.
Now that you've learned these simple ways to protect your plumbing for the winter let us help if you have any further questions. At Noble Plumbing, our licensed plumbers can help identify and address potential issues before it's too late. We work with you to ensure peace of mind heading into the cold season.
Businesses and Property Managers
We know managing commercial properties during winter presents unique challenges. Our experienced plumbers know the local area and the struggles of the winter months, and they work with business and property managers to keep their properties running smoothly all season.
Here are a few areas to consider as you prepare your business and properties for the winter ahead:
1. Consider a professional inspection and maintenance.
Schedule a thorough inspection of all plumbing systems before winter hits. This will give you plenty of time to address any issues we find.
We'll check the shape of your water heaters and all exposed piping to ensure everything is in good shape.
Remember to check areas exposed to elements that may not be looked at as often, such as basement pipes and rooftop drainage systems.
2. Implement smart prevention strategies.
Consider upgrading to smart water monitoring systems. They're excellent at catching leaks early and can save thousands in potential water damage. Unlike a home, businesses close and are vacant nights or weekends, and a monitoring system will help give you peace of mind.
Install temperature sensors in key areas to alert you if the temperature in your property has dropped significantly, alerting you before your pipes get a chance to freeze.
Make sure your building's heating system maintains at least 55°F in all areas, even vacant spaces.
3. Make an emergency plan and tell your team.
Create a winter emergency response plan for your business that includes:
Who should employees address plumbing concerns, and what may those look like?
Contact information for all key personnel.
Give them step-by-step procedures for various scenarios (burst pipes, water heater failures, etc.)
Let your employees know the location of all main water shutoff valves and make sure that they are clearly marked and accessible.
4. Communicate with tenants before problems arise.
During a deep freeze, your tenants may not know the right ways to help you keep the water flowing and pipes from bursting. To keep your tenants in the loop as winter approaches, we recommend:
Sending out a winter preparation newsletter with tips and who to contact if there is an emergency plumbing issue.
Creating a simple reporting system for tenants to alert you of potential issues that aren't emergencies.
Posting emergency procedures in common areas so everyone can see.
If you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, our team specializes in commercial property maintenance and can help ensure your plumbing and systems are in top shape for the winter. You can easily book an inspection online here.
When to Contact Us at Noble Plumbing This Winter
Emergencies
If you suspect or discover a burst pipe, new leaks, or water heater failure, contact us immediately. We try our best to accommodate plumbing emergencies after hours and on weekends.
For more information on our emergency services and how to get in touch, click here.
Suspected frozen pipes
If you notice water flow issues after a freeze, contact us—we'll help diagnose the problem and resolve it quickly.
Water heater issues, leaks, and other issues that arise.
If your hot water isn't working correctly, it's time for a professional service. Water heater maintenance can be complex, so we recommend leaving this to professionals. Next, keep an eye on small leaks, which can often develop into more significant problems and should be addressed immediately.
Preparing your plumbing for winter is easy to overlook with so much going on around the holidays, but if not done correctly, it could be costly in the long run. We want to help you avoid burst pipes and costly repairs this winter, so follow the steps outlined above and schedule an inspection with us if needed.
Contact Noble Plumbing for help with plumbing winterization, emergency repairs, and inspections. Our plumbers are licensed, bonded, and insured. We pride ourselves on getting the job done right and in a timely manner.
We serve the Snoqualmie Valley and many other Eastside neighborhoods in Greater King County, including Issaquah, Carnation, Bellevue, Kirkland, Mercer Island, and more.
Call us at (425)200-5642
See our original post on Living Snoqualmie here.
