A few years ago, Texas made national headlines when our power grid failed, leading to a challenging few weeks as we endured extreme weather. Many of us experienced broken pipes and severe plumbing issues due to the deep freeze. During that time, Metro-Flow Plumbing was there, working tirelessly to help our community recover and repair the damage. We’re committed to being there for you, no matter what.
- Thermostats. Not constantly fooling around with them and keeping them at the same temperature will make your air conditioning system operate its best.
- Open the doors below your kitchen and bathroom sinks. The warmer air circulating will help the pipes stay at room temperature and prevent them from freezing, expanding and bursting from being in an enclosed, dark environment.
- Air Leaks. The rubber seal on windows can deteriorate over time allowing for cold air to come in. A quick inspection of your windows could save you money down the road as the cold air sneaking in will have your heating system working overtime. Look out for cracks as small as the width of a nickel around the framing edge, if any are found some caulk will fix them.
- Turn off exterior faucets and drain the water completely from any hoses you might have outside. Water that remains in the pipes and/or hose will freeze and expand causing it to break.
- If you own a chimney and haven’t turned it on in a long time it might be a good idea to get it inspected before the long winters. If necessary get someone to clean it. This will prevent all sorts of problems but more importantly it’ll prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and chimney fires.
- Let your faucets drip just a bit overnight. The continuous flow of water, no matter how small, will prevent the water from freezing inside of the pipes.
- Check your roof homeowners. Especially if it hasn’t been maintained in recent years. Missing shingles or wildlife crawling in could have exposed your home to the elements.
- If you still have power and have fans that have a reverse mode, switch it on a low setting to keep warm. As we all should know heat rises which means the heat near the top of your room will be blown down at you. This is extra helpful in rooms with high ceilings and will keep your heating system from being on all day.
- Check that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. With no power, fires are go to’s for warmth. Undetected smoke or carbon monoxide can be deadly particularly in the middle of the night.
- Clear small branches from trees around your property. With strong enough winds these can break and fall on your property causing damage.
- BONUS TIP – Review your home insurance coverage. There are many different types of home insurance and you want to make sure you’re covered on all bases. Following these steps, may prevent your home from experiencing extensive damage.
To summarize, it’s better to be prepared than to go through the headache of fixing things that could be preventable. Sometimes we even lose irreplaceable belongings in these unfortunate situations and we certainly want to avoid that. We hope this blog helps you along the way to be better prepared for harsher weather situations.
From your friends here at Metro-Flow Plumbing, we can’t wait to have you here for the next blog. Have a great day Dallas! Let’s make this year a great one – and remember that your friends at Metro-Flow Plumbing are available 24/7 and are only a phone call away. You may reach us at: 214-328-7371.
