Even though the warmth of summer hangs in the air, cold weather will be upon us before you know it. Don’t be caught off guard. Preparing ahead of time can save you a lot of grief and money. Taking the time to properly prepare your outdoor hosebibs, showers and bathrooms and irrigation systems with winterization.
Make sure all your outside hose bibbs are shut down for the winter. First you need to locate the isolation valve and close it down, remove any hoses still attached, and open the bibb to drain any residual water in the pipe. Leave the bibb in the open position. If the bibb continues to drip, your isolation valve inside may not be holding and should be changed. Frost free hose bibbs can be left with the water on, but it is important to disconnect any hoses to avoid freezing.
Outside showers and bathrooms should also be properly winterized. Sometimes, shutting down the water is not enough. You may need to use an air compressor to blow out any residual water, and/or treat with potable anti-freeze. If this water is left in the line and we then have freezing temperatures, when the water turns to ice, it could expand and split your piping.
Underground irrigation systems are also subject to the same extremes, even though the piping is buried. Make sure you have the system closed and properly winterized to avoid costly repairs come spring. Call a professional to make sure it is done properly.
Don’t wait until really cold temperatures set in before you fire up your heating system. Test run it in late September or early October. You don’t want to find out it isn’t working when it’s 30 degrees outside.
Feel free to call us with questions, or to schedule a time when we can complete any of these services for you!
