Prepare Your Water System
for Freezing Temperatures

Bone-chilling temps are expected to cause plumbing damage across Central Arkansas. Don’t get stuck with a huge bill, undue panic and damage. You’ll save costly time and money by preparing for the winter cold snap. The frigid temperatures are expected to last several days – while water lines, pipes, outdoor sinks/showers, water heaters, hydrants and more are freezing and damaged across Central Arkansas.

But you can avoid all that chaos and busting pipes by winterizing all your plumbing and equipment.

• Always leave interior faucets dripping on both the hot and cold side.


• Remove all water hoses from the outside hydrants.


• Leave your cabinet doors open – allowing heat to flow through to plumbing on the outside walls.


• Use hose bib covers.


• Use heat tape and/or heaters for any exposed water lines or water heaters located in an unheated area.


• Watch for ice sickles that develop on the condensate lines of tankless water heater drains. The underneath pans may freeze and fill up with ice forcing your water heater to shut down.


• Make sure all outdoor plumbing is properly winterized and drained.


• Disconnect supply lines and open faucets to drain out.


• Protect your p-trap from freezing by pouring a cup of windshield washer fluid down the drain.

Even if you’ve never had issues before -- no one is in the clear with these bitter cold temperatures.

If your pipes bust or you have any other issues with your plumbing, it’s best to call trained professionals to diagnose and fix the issue. Westlake Plumbing and Ben Franklin Plumbing would be happy to help any way we can. Call us at 501-843-6763.

---

9 Tips to protecting your
water system in frigid temps.

• Leave your water dripping on the Hot AND Cold side! This is a must!


• Open all cabinet doors for sinks on the outside walls to allow heat to flow fully and reach the exterior wall. Also make sure these faucets are dripping on both hot and cold. Pay close attention to exterior walls that face North.


• Winterize any outdoor faucets / hydrants by removing water hoses and providing insulated cover.


• Winterize any outdoor faucets / hydrants by removing water hoses and providing insulated cover.


• If you have Tankless Water Heaters that condensate and are located in an unheated space (Attic or Exterior Application), watch for ice sickles that develop on the condensate lines and break them off or provide heat to the area so the heater does not trip a code and shut off. Should the pans under the tankless units fill up with ice, it will cause the tankless to shut down if the condensate lines back up.


• If you have ever had freeze problems in the past, you can expect to have one again later this week and weekend, so please take extra precautions to minimize your exposure to the elements. If you have “never had a freeze problem”, please don’t assume you are in the clear, and think there is no need to take precautions. Your house may have never had a freeze, but you should take these precautions every time, regardless!


• If you have outdoor sinks/showers, please make sure these areas have been properly winterized and drained. Even though they may be valved off, we would disconnect the supply lines also, and open the faucet so it will drain out completely, and lastly pour approx. a cup of windshield washer fluid or antifreeze down the drain of the sink, to protect the p-trap from freezing.


• Should your home be a crawl space, make sure you close the exterior vents to prevent the free flow of air (many do not think of this step).


• If you are going out of town for the holiday weekend, we might even suggest unplugging your circulating pumps (if equipped) and turning the water off to the house and opening the faucets to drain it down. If you do this, and your home is equipped with a circulating system, or you are not sure…. please call our office to schedule a tech to come by and purge the circulating system properly, so it doesn’t burn up your circulating pump. These pumps can be expensive to replace. Do not plug the pump back in without proper purging of the system! I would strongly consider making a return home appointment now, before you leave, for when you return home, rather than waiting until you return home from Christmas vacation. Our office will be happy to assist you with this, if needed.

In need of professional help, please call our Service office at 501-843-1565 or Click Here to initiate a dispatch to address freezing or busted pipes.