Winter is coming and along with it, some different maintenance issues that you need to attend to to keep your home running as smoothly as possible.

One of those issues is your plumbing. Know what to do and when to do it can save you thousands of dollars in damage repair later on.

What Plumbing Problems Can Occur In The Winter?

The most common plumbing problems that can happen in the winter are…

  • Clogged Drains
  • Frozen Pipes
  • Hot Water Heater Problems
  • Basement Floods

Holidays and Clogged Pipes

We all know that autumn and winter are packed with holiday events. Those events are packed with wonderful foods that we normally don’t eat all year long.

Much of that food will be greasy (isn’t that what makes it taste so good?) and many cooks will be using their garbage disposal to discard food scraps (including the greasy ones).

Although it SEEMS logical that you could put pretty much anything down a garbage disposal, the truth is that you really can’t. Grease is just one of those forbidden items.

The problem is that although grease starts off as a liquid when it goes down the disposal – it doesn’t stay that way. Once it cools off and solidifies it can cause blockages in your pipes.

From a 2011 paper published in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology – “The presence of hardened and insoluble fats, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits in sewer lines is a major cause of line blockages leading to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).”

Solution

The solution is to be aware of what can and cannot be put down the garbage disposal and of course to not put those items in there. It may seem like a simple thing but when your house is filled with family and friends and several people join in to help clean up – it’s important to spread the word. No one wants to spend the holidays unclogging pipes.

More Information On What NOT To Put In Your Garbage Disposal

Frozen Pipes

Living here in Georgia we get very mild winters but we do get temperatures down to freezing so precautions must be taken to keep your water pipes from freezing.

You can help to prevent your pipes from freezing by doing the following…

  • For pipes in your garage walls, keep your garage doors closed to retain as much heat as you can inside your garage.
  • Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinets (in case there are any pipes behind those cabinets).
  • Turn a faucet on so that water drips (leave it on while the temperature is 20 degrees or lower). This forces water to run through the pipes and helps to prevent sitting water from freezing.
  • Keep your thermostat at the same temperature during the day and night.
  • Any insulation that you can add to your home, in the walls, wrapping pipes, windows, cracks in doors, etc. will help to prevent your water pipes from bursting and creating an expensive mess.

Problems With Your Hot Water Heater

Who doesn’t love a nice long hot shower, especially in the winter months? Well, most people do.

Your hot water heater tends to work overtime during the winter. If it’s not properly maintained – it may not be able to keep up with the extra work required of it. You could end up with no hot water or worse – a mini flood due to a burst hot water heater.

The Solution

Check your water heater on a regular schedule. If you are very handy around the house you can do it yourself, otherwise call in a professional plumber to do it for you. You’ll save yourself time and money in the long run.

Basement Floods

If the weather stations are predicting snow – check your drainage areas around your home to make sure that they are not blocked by leaves or other debris. Any blockages can cause water to back up, pool and possibly flood your basement.

It’s a simple and quick task to do and can save you thousands of dollars.

We hope you found this article informative and we wish you a very safe and joyful winter and holiday season.

If you have any questions about the tips we provided here about plumbing issues in the winter, call us – Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.