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When the leaves start to change to hues of red, orange, and yellow, that only means one thing: autumn is here! And while you might be trying to gather your plans for pumpkin picking and other autumnal events, there’s also something else you should add to your to-do list: preventative plumbing maintenance! So, before you decide to carve a pumpkin, here are some tips to take into consideration:
Make Sure to Shut Off Your Hose Bibb
If you’ve washed your car in the driveway, tended to your garden, or washed some mud off of a walkway, then you’re familiar with your hose bibb! This essential piece to the home plumbing puzzle supplies water to the great outdoors with the utmost ease. And although autumn temperatures won’t plummet as if it’s wintertime, there’s still a chance a “freak” colder-than-average day can come out of nowhere.
That being said, you'll want to take any garden hoses or attachments off of the hose bibb. Next, inspect the bibb to see if there are any irregularities with its appearance (i.e., a crack, possible leakage, etcetera). After that, you’ll want to head inside and turn off the internal water supply that leads to the bibb. Once complete, head back outside, turn on the bibb and let any remaining water funnel out. Finally, when the last drop of water hits the ground, turn the hose bibb off and then you’ll be good to go!
Insulate Plumbing Pipes
An important autumn plumbing tip that some overlook? Making sure that the pipes in and around your home are insulated for the colder weather to come! Believe it or not, this is a straightforward task and shouldn’t take more than an hour. To start, you’ll want to scout out plumbing pipes that are located in “freeze zones” — areas where they’ll be exposed to colder temperatures and might have the chance of breaking.
From there, head to your local home improvement store and pick up a pipe insulation kit or various pipe protectant materials (i.e., heat tape, foam covers). Once you’ve acquired these materials, follow the instructions that are on the package, and cover just about every square inch of your plumbing pipes. This will help protect your pipes from freezing and will give you peace of mind!
Schedule Water Heater Maintenance
When was the last time you scheduled a water heater maintenance appointment with your plumber? If you can’t recall when that was, then it would be wise to do so before the end of autumn! Not only will they examine your water heater from head to toe (seeing if it needs repair), but they’ll even be able to flush it out and suggest options for a potential upgrade if they think your unit has seen better days!
If You Need Some Assistance, We’re Here to Help!
At Mitch Wright Plumbing, Heating & Air, we are here for all of your plumbing and heating/cooling needs, which is why we offer 24/7 emergency services. For more information on the services we provide, visit us on the web or give us a call at (901) 795-9044.