Winterizing Your Home: Essential Steps to Protect Your Plumbing System Salem, Oregon

As the colder months approach, it's important to start thinking about how to protect your home’s plumbing system from the potential hazards of freezing temperatures. While we all love cozying up in the warmth of our homes during winter, those cold, frigid nights can bring serious plumbing problems if you’re not prepared.

At Proline Plumbing and Sewer, we’ve seen firsthand the damage that can occur when homeowners neglect to winterize their plumbing systems. Frozen pipes, leaks, and costly repairs can quickly turn your winter season into a stressful, expensive ordeal. To help you avoid these issues, we've put together a guide on the importance of winterizing your home, the steps you can take to protect your plumbing, and how we can help if things go wrong.

Why Winterizing Your Plumbing System is Crucial

When temperatures drop, water inside your pipes can freeze. This leads to a dangerous situation, as frozen pipes can expand, crack, or burst, causing significant water damage. Burst pipes can lead to flooding, costly repairs, and the disruption of your daily life. In addition to pipe damage, other plumbing components like water heaters and sump pumps are also at risk when temperatures dip below freezing.

Winterizing your plumbing system before the cold weather sets in is your best defense against these problems. Preventative maintenance on your plumbing system will not only save you from expensive repairs but also ensure your home stays comfortable and functional throughout the winter months.

Potential Plumbing Problems from Not Winterizing

Here are a few of the most common plumbing issues that arise when homes aren’t properly winterized:

1. Frozen and Burst Pipes

The most common and damaging problem caused by freezing temperatures is frozen pipes. When water inside pipes freezes, it expands, putting immense pressure on the pipe walls. This pressure can cause the pipes to burst or crack, leading to significant water damage, especially in areas like basements, crawl spaces, or attics.

Where it happens: Pipes in unheated areas such as exterior walls, attics, basements, or crawl spaces are especially vulnerable to freezing.

2. Damaged Water Heater

Water heaters are essential for providing hot water during the winter months. When temperatures drop too low, especially in uninsulated garages or basements, the water in your heater can freeze. This can cause your heater to malfunction, leading to a lack of hot water and expensive repairs.

Where it happens: Uninsulated or poorly insulated areas where the water heater is located are the most at risk.

3. Clogged Drains and Sewer Line Issues

During winter, ice and debris can block your outdoor drains or sewer lines, causing water to back up into your home. This can lead to unpleasant odors, potential flooding, and plumbing backups that require professional attention.

Where it happens: Sewer lines, outdoor drains, or storm drains are more likely to freeze or become clogged with debris during the winter months.

4. Sump Pump Failure

If you live in an area with a basement or crawl space, you may have a sump pump installed to prevent flooding. During freezing conditions, your sump pump can become less effective or even freeze if not properly maintained. If your sump pump fails to operate, water can accumulate, leading to flooding and water damage.

Where it happens: Basements or crawl spaces where the sump pump is located, especially if they’re not insulated or exposed to the cold.

How to Winterize Your Plumbing System

Are you unsure of how to properly winterize your home? Rest assured, you’re not the only one. That is why we at Proline Plumbing & Sewer, have put together this blog to help our customers stay prepared for the winter months and decrease their chances of enduring costly plumbing problems. Continue reading to learn more about the top DIY tips we recommend performing on your system, prior to the winter cold snap hitting.

1. Insulate Exposed Pipes

Start by inspecting your home for exposed pipes, particularly in areas like basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages, and along exterior walls. You can use foam pipe insulation, heat tape, or insulated sleeves to protect these pipes from freezing temperatures.

Pro Tip: If your pipes are located in an area that’s difficult to insulate, you can also use space heaters or heat lamps, such as ones sold on Amazon, to keep the temperature around the pipes above freezing.

2. Seal Gaps and Cracks Around Windows and Doors

Cold air can seep into your home through gaps around windows, doors, and even around plumbing entry points in exterior walls. Caulk around window frames, doors, and any pipe or vent openings to seal drafts that could expose your pipes to freezing conditions. Any standard caulking found at a home improvement store, such as Lowes will do.

3. Shut Off Outdoor Faucets

Make sure to drain and shut off any outdoor faucets or irrigation systems before the first freeze. Disconnect garden hoses and, if possible, use an indoor shutoff valve to stop the water supply to outdoor faucets. You may also want to install insulated covers on outdoor faucets (hose bibs) to provide extra protection.

4. Maintain Your Water Heater

Ensure that your water heater is functioning properly by checking the temperature setting (ideally 120°F) and ensuring the area around it is properly insulated. If your water heater is in an unheated area like a garage or basement, consider wrapping it with an insulating blanket like one sold at Home Depot to prevent freezing.

Pro Tip: If it has been a while since your last water heater maintenance and you want some additional peace of mind that everything is working properly or want some assistance in preparing your plumbing system for winter, you can request an appointment with one of our water heater specialists to come out and perform a water heater inspection at your home or business.

5. Inspect and Clean Your Gutters

Clean your gutters of leaves and debris before the first snowfall. Clogged gutters can cause ice dams, which can lead to water pooling and potential leaks into your home’s foundation or plumbing system.

6. Install a Sump Pump Backup System

Consider installing a backup sump pump if your home relies on a sump pump to prevent basement flooding. Battery-operated or water-powered backup pumps can keep your system running if there’s a power outage or if your primary pump fails due to cold or mechanical issues. Grainger has many different models of sump pumps to choose from.

How Proline Plumbing and Sewer Can Help

Winterizing your plumbing system may seem like a lot of work, but it’s essential for protecting your home from costly damage. If you’re unsure how to get started or don’t have the time or expertise to winterize your plumbing yourself, no need to worry - Proline Plumbing and Sewer is here to help!

Our team of licensed plumbers near you can perform a thorough plumbing inspection of your home or business and provide whatever preventative services are needed.

- Pipe insulation: to safeguard against freezing and bursting.

- Water heater maintenance: to ensure your system runs efficiently and won’t freeze.

- Sump pump inspections and installations: to prevent basement flooding.

- Leak detection and plumbing repairs: to address any pre-existing issues before the cold weather exacerbates them.

- Drain cleaning: to ensure any collected debris is cleared out before potential pipe damage occurs.

Call us Today to schedule your plumbing winterization service. Or, you can request an appointment online that best fits your schedule, and a member of our friendly staff will call you to confirm!