Are you ready for Winter? Is your home? Tip #1 – Protect those Pipes

With November flying by, we are now thinking about Thanksgiving and about Christmas (and maybe New Year’s Eve) too.  Have you thought about your home and whether or not it is prepared for the cold Winter months that lie ahead?

Here are a few things to consider to ensure your home makes it safely and comfortably through the Winter months.  To begin with, the pipes in your home need protection from freezing.  Frozen pipes can do unimaginable damage to your home.

Let’s take a look at what our friends at Eaton Berube Insurance recommend for protecting your home’s pipes from freezing:

• Keep your home warm. The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) recommends setting your thermostat to at least 65 degrees, considering that the temperature inside the walls, where your pipes are located, is quite a bit colder than the room’s temperature.
• Inspect your pipes and if you discover any cracks or leaks, be sure to have the damaged pipes repaired right away. You may also wish to wrap exposed pipes with heating tape.
• You should also inspect outside walls and foundations near water pipes, and seal any cracks or holes you discover with caulking.
• During colder periods, keep cabinet doors open, especially those in your kitchen and bathroom. This will help warm air circulate around your pipes.
• If you have pipes running through unheated spaces, keep a slow trickle of water flowing through the faucets connected to these pipes to help prevent them from freezing.
• Make sure you’ve learned how to shut off the water in the event that your pipes freeze despite having taken the recommended steps to prepare for winter weather. According to the I.I.I., the faster you are able to shut off your pipes and/or direct your plumber to the problem, the better chance you have to prevent pipes from bursting and causing significant damage to your home.
• If it’s in your budget, you may consider installing an emergency pressure release valve in your plumbing system, which will protect it against increased pressure resulting from freezing pipes and help prevent these pipes from bursting.
• Consider investing in an alternative power source, like a portable generator, to help prevent your pipes from freezing in the event that you lose power for several days.

Thank you to  Eaton Berube Insurance, a Trusted Choice^® independent insurance agency.