The Maynard Man Shares Tips to Protect Your Plumbing This Winter

There’s no denying that winters get pretty chilly around
here! The question is, what are you going to do about it? No, we don’t expect
you to play Mother Nature and magically change the temperature outside. But you
can absolutely take steps to protect your home as the weather gets chillier.
One often overlooked part of that
home is your plumbing system.

The Maynard Man is here to share with you everything that
could potentially go amiss with your home’s plumbing system this winter. We’ll
also share some helpful advice about how you can avoid these problems
altogether. Read on…

Watch Out For These Problems…

There are a number of winter plumbing problems you should
keep an eye out for. These are the most common:

Frozen Pipes and Subsequent Leaks

What if your pipes seem to be springing leaks left and
right, and you have no clue what’s going on? Well, it’s important to know that
your pipes are under even more stress as usual in the cooler months, which can
lead to freezing, and then corrosion as the pipes thaw. There is no part of
your plumbing that is immune to this issue, and the outside pipes are the most
likely to suffer.

Homeowners often thing that the only problem with frozen
pipes is that they don’t allow enough water flow through. But that is only part
of the problem. Frozen pipes also lead to cracked pipes and pinhole leaks, as well
as burst pipes that are irreparable.

On the coldest evenings, one step you can take is to allow
warm water to keep trickling through your pipes so it’s not sitting there able
to freeze. Also, you can insulate your pipes using sleeves that can be found at
any hardware or home goods store.

Clogged Drains

Plumbing tends to get used a bit more during the winter
months. This is because we’re all inside our homes even more, and are consistently using hot water to bathe and shower
with, as well as to cook with. With family get-togethers and guests staying
over, it’s easy to overwhelm your plumbing and end up with clogged drains.

Fortunately, you can help prevent this by avoiding putting
certain items down the drain in the kitchen, like fats, oils, and grease (fog)
and letting hair go down your bathroom drains.

A Broken Water Heater

Water heaters work harder during the winter! Think about
it—it’s drastically colder out and nothing feels a lot better than a hot shower
when it’s chilly out. As a result, however, you may run into an issue with
water heater capacity or water heater efficiency. If you notice you’re running
out of hot water a lot faster than you used to, give us a call.

It’s also a good idea to schedule routine annual plumbing maintenance, including a water heater tune-up, to help you avoid issues with this system.

Need a Helping Hand, Call The Maynard Man! Reach out to our team today for quality Nashville plumbing services and more.

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