Get ready for a cold winter New Mexico! Although you may be ready for thick fuzzy socks and pumpkin spice lattes after the hot summer we’ve had, your cold toes shouldn’t be the only things you are keeping warm this winter. That’s right! American Restoration Water & Fire reminds you that water pipes in your home need to be kept warm throughout the biting cold winter in order to avoid a disastrous flood situation.
Water is one of the most unique molecules on our planet, being that it expands when it freezes. When inside a plastic or metal pipe, this expansion causes pressure and tension that can burst, break, or crack a pipe. When the water pipes in your home have cracks or breaks, water can leak out causing damage to your home’s wood structure. In more severe cases, the water leak can flood your yard, garage, or basement as well.
Save money, save aggravation, and stop this from happening! Before the cold weather arrives, it is a good idea to drain water sprinkler lines that you may have in your yard. This could prevent a yard flood and allow you to use your sprinklers again in the spring. Inside you home, make sure your hot and cold water lines that supply your bathrooms and kitchen, are insulated. If you have water supply lines in your garage, make sure to keep your garage doors closed to keep the heat inside. Lastly, you may have heard that you should let the water run from the faucets in your home to prevent it from freezing. Well, you don’t have to let it run, but according to redcross.org, allowing it to drip from time to time may help prevent freezing and cracking in the pipes.
When winter arrives in a couple of short months, make sure your home is ready for it! Put on your warmest slippers and make sure your water pipes are warm enough too. You could be saving yourself thousands of dollars in home repair costs by avoiding a winter flood due to frozen pipes.
