Keeping pipes healthy during the winter can seem like a challenge, but you can follow three easy steps to keep your pipes clean, clear, and ready to use in your Scottsdale, Arizona home, company, or building.
Insulate The Pipes
The first step to any healthy pipe is to ensure that it’s properly insulated and kept in a safe place while winter settles in. Winters in Scottsdale can be cold, so make sure that the pipes have the insulation they need to keep from freezing over. You can ask the landlord (if you’re renting a space) or the previous owners about insulation so you don’t waste time or money.
Store & Insulate Exterior Pipes
Once your pipes are insulated, make sure that any exterior pipes are put away and closed somewhere warm. That includes swimming pool feeds, hoses, sprinklers, and any other exterior-based pipes. Pipes on the outside of your home also need to be protected; you can easily do so with newspaper and masking tape. A newspaper is a great insulation tool if you don’t have proper (or leftover) insulation. Make sure that these pipes are put away where the warmth from your home can properly rotate and cycle across them, ensuring that the water in the pipes won’t freeze.
Keep Water Running
If the temperatures drop below freezing, make sure to keep a small trickle of water running through your pipes at all times. Even this small trickle can make the difference between a running pipe and a frozen one. Also, open kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This allows warm air to circulate over, around, and across those pipes, keeping the water inside from freezing. Keep the temperature inside your building as consistent as possible; the least amount of fluctuation can mean the world of a difference to your pipes.
It may be a minor challenge to keep pipes going in the winter, but if you experience problems, contact NuFlow Phoenix anytime for assistance. You can reach us by email or by phone, by calling at (480) 508-6634.