Step outside and you’ll feel it in the air. Winter is coming. And while we’re still in the throes of fall, you should start thinking about preparing your house now before it causes you problems later down the road. As Seattle’s premier sewer maintenance company, Sewer Solutions Northwest is here to offer you some handy hints on preparing your pipes for winter!

What Happens When Your Pipes Freeze

Frozen pipes are dangerous for a few reasons. They can prevent water from flowing into your home, which means no showers, no clean dishes, and no drinking water. It can also lead to your pipes bursting. The frozen water expands in the pipe, stressing the metal or plastic, and causing it to explode. The result is that water pours unchecked into your home, causing a whole litany of other problems.

Winterize Your Outdoor Fixtures

When summer wraps up, and lawn care becomes an endless chore of raking, we often forget about our outdoor fixtures. Spouts, faucets, and more sit unused throughout the fall and winter seasons, and that can increase the risk of a pipe bursting if not properly attended too. Make sure you remove any hoses and take the time to drain them before putting them away. Shut off the water supply to any outdoor fixtures. To keep your fixtures frost free this winter, you can even get hose bibs that cover the entire fixture to keep them from freezing.

Install Heating Cables Along Your Pipes

There are some pipes in your home that are more prone to freezing than others. These include those in the basement, the pipes that run along the exterior of your home or are not insulated within your walls. Fortunately, there are new products that can prevent these pipes from freezing. A special kind of electric-powered cable can be zip tied to these pipes. By using an integrated thermostat, they can tell when they need to warm up your pipes to keep from freezing. These cables are inexpensive, costing anywhere from $15-$40, and can be had in a variety of lengths. Just make sure you can position them so they’re near a power outlet.

Have Your Furnace Inspected

While we can’t help you here, there are plenty of great HVAC companies in the Seattle area that can! Making sure that your heater is in good working order before it starts to get cold is a great way to keep your pipes, and yourself, from freezing this winter. If your furnace were to go out in the middle of the winter, not only would you feel the cold, but it’s likely that you’ll experience some level of freezing in your pipes.

Make Sure Your Pipes Are In Good Working Order

While following the above steps are great for keeping your home’s plumbing in good working order this winter, another step you can take is to have your sewer lines inspected. We offer video pipe inspection that can identify blockages and potential problems before they affect your quality of life. If need be, we offer our pipe bursting services that can quickly repair your damaged or aging pipes. Contact Sewer Solutions today!