Whether you plan to brave the cold or spend the winter in warmer climates, make sure that your home is properly protected from the winter’s cold. It is especially important to prevent your home’s pipes from freezing, as frozen pipes can cause flooding and severe damage to any home. Follow these easy plumbing tips to winterize your home and prevent needless damage to your pipes.

1- Maintain a constant trickle of water from the pipes when the weather is extremely cold, or when you expect there to be extremely cold whether when you are not home. Even a minimal flow of water through the pipes will help to keep the water at a temperature above the freezing mark. Running water is also one of the easiest plumbing tips to help ice melt once it has developed in the pipes.

2- Maintain the temperature inside your home at a slightly higher degree that you might regularly do so. Keeping your home a bit warmer will also keep your pipes warmer and may prevent them from freezing. Although maintaining a constant temperature in your home may create a slightly higher heating bill, it will prevent the more burdensome expense of replacing frozen pipes that have burst and cleaning up damage from a flood. Homeowners who leave their homes during the winter should set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees.

3- Drain water from the sprinkler system and swimming pool according to the manufacturer’s instructions or hire a professional to drain them. Remove and drain any external hoses. Store them inside the house or garage, when possible, to protect them from the cold.

4- Check the outside of the house for any exposed pipes that may be particularly vulnerable to the cold. Consider insulating them with a “pipe sleeve,” “heat cable,” or even newspaper to provide further protection against freezing pipes.

5- Search areas of the home that are generally not insulated, such as the basement, the attic, crawlspaces or the garage, and wrap up any exposed pipes.

6- If you discover a frozen pipe, prevent it from bursting by applying heat to the frozen areas. For the best results, use the directed heat of a space heater, blow dryer or electric heating pad to help the pipes thaw. DO NOT use a blowtorch or open flame to melt the frozen areas, as this can cause the water to boil and the pipes to explode.

7- Clean out gutters regularly (or have a neighbor check your gutters if you will be away during the winter) to prevent any external backups and freezing.

These easy plumbing tips will winterize your home and help you to rest assured during the long winter months. While it often seems like an extra effort to do these steps, taking proactive measures is always less time consuming than having to react to a disaster caused by frozen pipes. Implementing these simple plumbing tips will help to winterize your home and create a comfortable place to escape the cold. Bundle up and enjoy!