4 Tips To Help Prevent Pipes Bursting In The Winter At Your Vacation Home

Posted on: 29 July 2016

Owning a vacation home on a lake can provide wonderful summer memories, but when winter approaches, a lot of people close up their lake house since it is too cold to enjoy. If you have recently purchased a lake house in an area where it is very cold in the winter, it is important to take several steps to prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting during the winter months when no one is using the residence. Use the following tips to protect your pipes and help prevent extensive water damage in your vacation home during the winter:

Insulate Your Pipes

Pipes in exterior walls, attics, crawlspaces, and plumbing pipes located outside of your vacation home are all at risk of freezing and then bursting during the winter. It is a good idea to take the time to insulate these pipes, either by using insulation foam or electrical tape designed to keep pipes from freezing. You may also want to consider having insulation blown into exterior walls and extra insulation added to the attic to further help protect the pipes and keep your vacation house from getting to cold.

Disconnect All Outdoor Hoses

When getting your vacation home ready for the winter, don't neglect the outdoor hoses. Failure to take care of your garden hose can lead to the water inside expanding when temperatures are below freezing and placing a lot of pressure on your indoor plumbing system. Make sure you disconnect all hoses, drain them, and place a faucet insulator on the hose spigot to help protect your plumbing then the temperature drops.

Turn Off the Water Main

If no one will be visiting your vacation home for the whole winter, it is a good idea to turn off the water main to the home before you leave for the season. After turning off the water main, turn on all the faucets in the home and flush the toilet to empty the water from the bowl and tank to drain the water in the pipes.

Consult a Plumber

If your vacation home is located in an area that experiences extremely frigid winters, it may be a good idea to have a plumber come and examine your pipes before you leave for the winter. A plumber may drain your hot water heater and blow compressed air through your pipes to ensure that they are completely empty of any water. Your plumber may advise for you to pour some anti-freeze in the toilet bowel and down the drains--if you do this, make sure you purchase plumbing anti-freeze and not automotive anti-freeze.

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