With the season ABS series of winter approaching, it is time to start thinking about how to protect water lines and other piping from being damaged due to hard freezing. Though it seems as though your pipes would be safe because of your home's ambient heat, this is not always so. Once the temperature starts dipping below freezing, pipes inside and outside of the home are at risk. It makes sense to winterize these pipes to reduce the risk of damage caused by bursting pipes and leaks caused by water freezing inside of pipes.
Prior to winterizing, you may want to call in a plumber to look for pipe leaks, weak water or sewer lines, and to also do a bit of leak detection around every incoming water pipe. Pipes that are fitted tightly with no leaks are less prone to freezing. If there is a leak a plumber should be called in. Have any leaks or weak pipes repaired or replaced before going to the next step of winterizing your pipes. For proper winterizing, you will need plenty of insulation, tape, plastic to wrap around the insulation, and something to cut the roll or rolls of insulation with, say, a utility knife.
Start with your hot water heater. Make sure it is well insulated to the cold, as well as any incoming or outgoing water pipes that lead to it. If you have a gas water heater, steer well clear of the pilot light and the door that leads to it. This area will not need insulation, and you don't want a fire hazard.
Check the kitchen sink, and be sure to give the pipes there a good wrapping in insulation as well as the piping in the bathrooms and the sinks. This is especially important if you have metal pipes, but plastic pipes freeze quite easily as well. If you have a basement, make sure that all water pipes there, are well insulated from the cold, especially if the basement is unheated. If the temperature drops extremely low, it may be a good idea to place an oil heater or space heater in the basement set on low to help keep the area a little warmer, but only through the coldest time period. Do not leave space heaters unattended for long periods of time.
Outside, there are things that should be done for water spigots and faucets as well. Drain any garden hoses that may still have water in them, and store them away for the winter. Make sure all water spigots are turned off well, and wrap closely with a layer of insulation and plastic. Outside spigots can be a weak point to the home water pipe system, so this is an important step. Another way of winterizing the spigots is to find the shut-off valve where the pipe feeding the faucet goes to the outside and shut it off. Now open the outside faucet to make sure the faucet drains and it can be left open
Your home needs to be protected from the cold just like you do, and treating the pipes correctly will greatly reduce your chances of burst pipes in cold weather. Make sure you consult with a knowledgeable plumber about the very best materials to use for your insulation purposes and stave off burst water pipes throughout the coldest time of the year.