It’s not over yet! Winter is still something we have to plan our lives around. Are you standing up to it well? What about your home? It would be wise to consider if your house will be able to stand up to visits from Jack Frost, extreme lows, and even wintery storms. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but planning ahead can save you time and headaches later.
Your first priority should be to double check your water lines since they are especially susceptible to cold wintery temperatures. A busted pipe because of freezing can result in some of the most expensive repairs a homeowner can face. Take my word for it, you DON’T want that to happen to you. Just ask any of our staff here at GAMA Air and we can tell you some plumbing horror stories we’ve experienced in and around Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino during the winter. What can you do to make sure you’re all set?
Protect water pipes
Check to see if you have any exposed water or drain piping in uninsulated spaces such as in your crawlspace, attic, outside walls. If you do, they should at least be wrapped with foam insulation, at a minimum. But if you expect temperatures below 20 degrees F, then ideally the pipes should also be wrapped with electrical heating tape first, which is available at most hardware and home improvement stores. Then insulate the pipes.
Don’t forget exterior faucets
The exterior faucets, also called hose bibbs or sill-cocks, normally are already designed for cold weather. But each year cold weather reaches into areas of the country that aren’t used to it, some don’t assume you have them. Cold weather style hose bibbs cut off the water supply deeper inside the wall where the water is not exposed to extreme temperatures. If this is not the style you have on the wall of your house, then you need to shut off the water supply inside the house, and you also need to disconnect the hose and drain water from it by opening up the exterior faucet. An insulated cover for the hose bibb is another option you may want to consider. Of course, after draining the water from the shut-off sill cocks, leave your garden hoses disconnected. And if you store the hoses outside, then they should also be drained so they don’t freeze and burst.
What about your home’s central heating and air system? What can you do to make sure this winter season will not be its last? Whatever the type of heating or cooling system you have, there are steps to take during the winter months. Come back soon for more information on keeping your home protected while winter bears down on us.
But in the meantime, if you want help with a problem in your home’s heating or cooling system, Call GAMA Air at (310) 651-6936 or use our online form to schedule a visit at a time convenient to you for a service call. We guarantee your satisfaction 100%.
Want a quick answer to a question you have? Visit our “Ask an Expert” page and get a quick answer from the resident expert here at GAMA Air.