With the holiday season behind us and the winter months not quite over, many people enjoy using this time of the year to take trips and get away from the cold weather.
This is the perfect time of the year to get to warmer weather or even go and really enjoy the winter weather by taking a ski or snowboard vacation.
However, while you are away you might be worried about how your home is doing in the severe weather. Hiring a house-sitter or enlisting the help of a trusted neighbor is a great way to quell that stress.
However, whether you have someone to look in on your home or not, it is a good idea to take some precautions for protecting your plumbing from having a major malfunction.
Here are just a few tips that you can follow to keep your plumbing safe while you are away from home and not using it:
- If it is extremely cold outside, keep one or two faucets running slowly at all times. Water moving through the system should prevent the line from freezing.
- Often times, the pipes that freeze are located near an outside wall or a window, so be sure to direct warm air to any colder areas of your home. (Start in your basement and look for any pipes near the exterior of the home.)
- If your kitchen sink is on an outside wall (it usually is), be sure to leave cabinet doors open to allow warm air into the cabinet. Your kitchen faucet is usually a good faucet to leave on during extremely cold weather.
- Be sure to disconnect your hose from the outside faucet. If you leave your hose connected, water is not able to drain out of your hose bib and will likely freeze and break the device.
- Keep the cupboards open for your kitchen and bathroom sinks to make sure that warm air can get in there to combat the pipes from getting too cold.
- Make sure to set your thermostat for 55 degrees before you leave to make sure that your pipes are kept warm but your power bill doesn’t go off budget
If you are planning a winter vacation and you’re worried about how your home will fair, use these precautions to give your pipes some protect and yourself some peace of mind.