People may not think of cold weather when they think of Texas, but, as we’ve seen over the past year, any weather can happen here. That’s why it’s best to prepare for cold weather plumbing problems. When cold weather hits your commercial or industrial facility, it could damage your pipes. Let’s look at how to winterize pipes to prevent them from freezing throughout the winter.
Key Concepts
This post covers the following topics:
- Common winter plumbing problems
- How to solve and prevent winter plumbing problems
- Repairing plumbing system leaks
- Insulating outdoor water pipes
- Preventing drain clogs
- Checking your water heater
- How A&G Services protects your pipes in winter
Common Winter Plumbing Problems
After the first freeze of the year occurs, the following plumbing problems may appear:
- Burst pipes
- Frozen pipes
- Broken water heaters
- Water damage in your facility
Fortunately, you can partner with a commercial plumbing company like A&G Services to prevent your pipes from freezing, bursting, or developing other problems during cold weather.
How To Prevent and Solve Winter Plumbing Problems
You can prevent plumbing problems from happening and solve them when they do occur with the following tips:
Repairing Leaks in Your Plumbing System
Leaks in your plumbing system could cause your pipes to burst when a cold snap hits your area. Contact your plumber to schedule preventative maintenance before winter arrives to avoid this problem. During their visit, your plumber will check your system for minor problems that could grow if they aren’t addressed. That includes checking for leaks and fixing them as soon as they’re found so your system will be safe from burst pipes when cold weather arrives.
Insulating Outdoor Water Pipes
Your outdoor water pipes could crack if you don’t take care of them before or during winter. Your shutoff water valve could also sustain damage if you don’t insulate or protect your outdoor pipes.
Luckily, you can prevent these problems in a few steps. First, turn your outdoor pipes off to keep them from freezing during cold weather. Next, turn off your outdoor shutoff valves to prevent damage and cover your outdoor water pipes to reduce their exposure to cold air. Once you take these three steps, your outdoor pipes should last throughout the winter.
Preventing Clogged Drains
Make sure all your sinks, toilets, and other plumbing fixtures with drains don’t clog up before or during winter. This is especially important if you have a kitchen sink with a garbage disposal. Be sure to keep grease out of the garbage disposal, because it could harden and clog your kitchen drain. Grease clogs freeze and thaw with the outdoor weather, so they could exacerbate problems like cracked or frozen pipes. Ask your plumber to check for clogged drains and do your best to keep drains clear during your facility’s daily operations.
Checking Your Water Heater
Your water heater allows your plumbing system to produce hot water. It’s often located in an underground space, and it can get cold as the ground freezes. Have your plumber check your water heater before freezing temperatures arrive. If they find problems with your heater, they can fix the issues before the ground freezes and harms the heater.
How Does A&G Services Protect Your Pipes in Winter?
We protect your plumbing pipes with a few different services, including preventive maintenance for commercial and industrial plumbing systems. This maintenance resolves minor issues in your system before they become significant problems. We fix your plumbing problems to get your system’s performance on the right track. Even if your pipes freeze in a winter storm, we can thaw them and get them back up and running.
Prevent Winter Plumbing Problems With Us
How does your plumbing system operate in winter? If it experiences problems, reach out to us today. We’ve handled many industrial and commercial plumbing systems over the years, so we have the experience and knowledge required to fix and prevent plumbing problems effectively. Whenever you need us, we’ll be here.
