10 Winter Plumbing Tips – Winterize Your Home With Everest

Here are ten essential plumbing tips you must follow prior to winter:

1. Insulate Your Pipes: Prevent Freezing and Bursting

 You will find numerous pipes running across the ceiling to different fixtures. It’s most important to pay attention to pipes that are exposed, such as those in basements, crawl spaces, and attics, as these are particularly vulnerable to freezing. This is especially true for pipes near outside walls, like those in cold rooms. These pipes must be protected with foam pipe insulation to prevent them from freezing and bursting during extreme cold weather.

2. Seal Cracks and Gaps to Keep Cold Air Out

In older homes, you can often find numerous gaps and cracks that allow small amounts of cold air to enter the house. Seal these gaps and cracks with caulking or spray foam can prevent cold air from infiltrating your home.

3. Shut Off and Drain Outdoor Faucets

Check your house for outdoor hose bibs (also known as outdoor faucets or spigots). Taking proper care of these fixtures is a crucial step in winter preparation. Before winter arrives, these outdoor hose bibs must either be turned off or removed to prevent freezing damage.

Most homes should have a dedicated shutoff valve inside the house that controls water flow to the outdoor hose bibs. If your home doesn’t have a separate shutoff valve, it’s highly recommended to have one installed as soon as possible by a professional plumber. This provides an essential layer of protection against winter damage.

4. Disconnect Outdoor Hoses and Hose Bibs

This process helps prevent frozen pipes, which can burst and cause significant water damage to your home. The key is ensuring that no water remains in the exterior portions of your plumbing system where it could freeze during cold weather. Always, remove and store garden hoses before winter. Leaving them connected can cause ice buildup and lead to burst pipes inside your home.

5. Inspect Your Fixtures: Ensure Proper Functioning

Inspect all the fixture like water heater, furnace and keep emergency backup. You water heater works harder in winter. its always best to drain and flush your hot water heater to removes any debris or sediment buildup and ensure all fixtures mainly heating and water heater efficiently.

6. Let the Faucet Drip to Prevent Freezing

 Extremely low temperatures can cause any pipe to freeze, mainly those that are near exterior walls. It’s hard to find out which fixture pipes are near walls since we cannot see them. On extremely cold nights, allow a small trickle of water to flow from your faucets. This will help keep water moving and reduce the risk of freezing.

7. Keep Your Home Warm to Protect Pipes

Whatever the outdoor temperature may be, it’s important to maintain a consistent indoor temperature at all times, even when you’re not at home. The best way to keep your home warm is to set your thermostat at least 55°F (13°C), as this temperature will help prevent your pipes from freezing.

8. Open Cabinet Doors to Circulate Warm Air Around Pipes

Water lines connected to fixtures that are along exterior walls, such as kitchen and bathroom sinks, have a high chance of bursting and freezing. Always identify all fixtures that are in contact with the outside wall and open the cabinet doors for these fixtures. This will allow warm air to circulate around the pipes and prevent them from freezing

9. Know Your Main Shutoff Valve

Homeowners or tenants must know the location of all their shutoff valves. If not, they should at least be aware of the main shutoff valve, which is typically located near the water meter. In the event of a plumbing emergency, such as a burst pipe or a leaky fixture, turning off the main valve will help prevent property damage.

10. Schedule a Plumbing Inspection for Your Home

If your home is over 20 years old, it is highly recommended to have your plumbing system inspected annually by a professional plumber, such as Everest Drain and Plumbing in Toronto. A plumbing inspection should include checking the sump pump, hot water heater, and backwater valve. This proactive approach helps prevent costly damage and repairs in the future.

Protect your home from winter plumbing disasters. Contact Everest Drain and Plumbing in Toronto today to schedule a comprehensive plumbing inspection and winterization service. Don’t wait for the cold weather to cause costly damage—act now!

Do i need to winterize my pipe and plumbing ?

This is one of the most common questions asked on the internet. The answer is simple:

If you live in an area where temperatures fall below freezing during the winter, then yes, you must winterize your plumbing system. If your are in canada, you must do.

Do i need professional plumber to winterize pipe ?

Generally, you don’t need a professional for a simple single home—you can handle it yourself. However, if you have multiple water and drain lines extending to garden suites, an outdoor kitchen, or several exterior fixtures, it’s best to have your system professionally winterized to prevent damage.

What to do my pipe already freezing ?

Here is a quick thing you can do if you have a frozen pipe:

• Turn Off the Water Supply: Locate and shut off the main water valve to prevent pressure buildup.
• Open Faucets: Open the affected taps to relieve pressure and allow thawing water to escape.
• Apply Heat: Use a hairdryer, space heater, heating pad, or warm towels to gently thaw the frozen section. Avoid open flames.
• Insulate the Area: If possible, wrap the pipe with insulation or towels to retain heat.
• Increase Indoor Heat: Raise your home thermostat temperature and open cabinet doors to improve airflow to the frozen pipes.
• Call a professional plumber: If the pipe is completely frozen or has started leaking, contact a local plumber near me immediately for professioanl service.

Additional Reading : How to unthaw Frozen pipe in detail