Harsh weather conditions can take a real toll on people’s homes. When people think of the effects of winter weather, they may think about how their lawns and greenery are affected. With that said, there are other areas around your property that can be affected as well, such as your home’s pipes. Here is how winter weather can impact the pipes around your home.
Your Pipes Can Become Clogged
When the winter weather gets cold enough, your piping system can get clogged up. This is because the viscosity of materials like oils, grease, and fat will thicken. With enough thickness in these substances, they can get stuck in your pipes.
Sometimes, when temperatures drop abruptly, piping systems that aren’t buried deeply could have their main sewer lines clogged too. This can severely compromise your house’s plumbing system.
Less Water Pressure
Something else that winter weather does to your pipes is lower the water pressure. This can be a heavy inconvenience to you. It causes the water heater to work extra hard, and there’s a higher chance that your plumbing system gets damaged.
Reduced water pressure can happen for a number of reasons. Sometimes, there’s a buildup of sediment in your pipes, and cold weather can increase the amount of sediment that your pipes have.
Water pressure can also go down because the pipes get partially or fully frozen. Thawing your pipes is a slow process, but you can accomplish it with the use of a heating cable, space heater, or hairdryer. Just avoid having an open flame because this is a big danger to your home.
Lastly, you may have less water pressure when the demand for water in your house is constantly high. To combat this issue, we recommend spreading out water usage more evenly throughout the day. If you don’t want to adjust your water usage, you could also install a point-of-use tankless water heater.
For Pipe Repairs, Call Master Plumbing
Give Master Plumbing a call at (301) 650-9100, or contact us online to get more information on how our expert plumbers can help you with just about anything plumbing-related! We have received Angie’s List Super Service Award recognition for plumbing and drain cleaning every year since 2007, in addition to the Best Plumber award from Best of Bethesda. We are fully licensed, bonded, and insured, and our service is unparalleled. Give us a call today—you won’t regret it! To see examples of our projects, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!