Do you know what to do to protect your home if a pipe breaks at your home?
Since we generally have a short amount of notice before a hard freeze, it is good to plan ahead.
- Locate the shut off valve
- Find the outside Clean-Outs for both the main line and kitchen
- Find your hose bibs and back flow preventors?
- Make sure exposed water lines are winterized with insulation.
Any hoses not currently used should be rolled it up and put in storage until winter has passed (April) to alleviate any leakage and water lines freezing.
Flooding can occur from inside your home through your appliances without any notice. Many washing machine hoses are made of galvanized or copper hoses that will rust from the inside and cause water to build up and eventually explode. To prevent flooding washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, and water heater hoses should be made of stainless steel. Check the hoses once a year for kinks, damage, rust, or snags that could result in leaks or an expensive rupture.
A burst washer hose can spill gallons of water per hour if it is not detected right away, and water damage from a washing machine can be very expensive to repair. In just a few moments, a leaking washing machine can cause thousands of dollars of damage. An auto-shut off hose will automatically stop the flow of water if the connector senses a chance in water flow. Makes sense to pay a few dollars more and have a small clean up versus a disaster.
It is recommended that you drain and flush your water heater annually to eliminate build up sentiment from coming out of your faucet. Check the thermostat on your water heater also. A malfunctioning thermostat could cause the heating element to overheat the water, making the volume inside of the tank too much for the seams to hold causing a major leak and severe flooding. A leak from the temperature and pressure relief valve (T&P) may be caused by excessive pressure inside the tank or overheating. Pressure on the T&P valve will keep it open almost continuously, leading to water heater leaking.
Lower your heating costs by installing weather stripping and seals around openings of windows, doors, and air conditioners. Call your power company for a no cost evaluation of your home for energy efficiency. LED lightbulbs and fireplaces can add warmth without the cost.
A few prevention tips to keep your home safe and CLEAN!
