Cold weather can affect your plumbing in ways that can all but ruin your home. While you should never hesitate to call a plumber if you have a serious problem with your drains, there are still things you can do to maintain them. Here are just a few common cold-related plumbing issues and what you can do about them.
Frozen Pipes
When you think of cold-related plumbing issues, frozen pipes are probably what comes to mind before anything else. Exposed pipes in your basement, garage, or crawlspace are the most vulnerable to cold weather simply because they’re exposed and in places that usually aren’t heated or insulated, but pipes within external walls can also freeze.
To protect exposed pipes, wrap them in pipe insulation. You can find this at any hardware store. If you can’t find any, some old blankets or towels will do. As for other pipes, you can protect them by turning on your faucets to a trickle. This keeps water flowing through your pipes and relieves pressure if any of it does freeze. You can also open the cabinets underneath your kitchen and bathroom sinks to expose the plumbing in them to the heated air moving through your home.
If your pipes freeze despite your best efforts, turn off the main water valve for your home and attempt to thaw the frozen pipes. Apply heat slowly with hairdryers, electric space heaters, heating pads, and towels soaked in hot water. When you think you’ve thawed the frozen pipes, slowly turn the water back on and check for leaks.
Solidified Grease in Your Drains
Cooking grease solidifies when it cools, which is why you should never pour it down your drains. Naturally, it will solidify faster in cold weather. If this happens in your garbage disposal, you may be able to turn it on and break it up. Otherwise, you may be able to soften the grease with hot water or break up a clog with a drain snake or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Never use chemical drain cleaners. They may seem effective, but they’re corrosive enough to damage your plumbing with repeated use.
Damaged Sewer Lines
Repeated freezing and thawing cycles can cause the ground around your home to shift, which can damage your sewer line. This is more common in older lines, but it can happen to anyone whenever the temperature changes drastically. Look for signs such as slow drains, foul smells, or gurgling sounds. That will tell you that something is wrong with your sewer line. Since your sewer line is buried underground, you won’t be able to fix it yourself. Call a plumbing company that provides sewer repair services.
Don’t try to solve serious plumbing problems yourself because you can do more harm than good. If you have a problem with your drains at any time of year, call Whipple Service Champions in Salt Lake City, UT and ask about our drain cleaning services.
