Most American homeowners experience frozen pipes during the winter. If this happens the pipes bust and creates property damage. However, if you know the signs of frozen pipes you can avoid them in the winter.
A lot of people experience various plumbing issues during the winter. Busting pipes do happen a lot and will create damages in at least one room of your home if not taken care of immediately.
Water will flood homes, apartments, offices, and the damage can be devastating to most properties especially if your insurance won’t cover it.
Winter Plumbing Problems in Michigan?
We got local plumbers in the Oxford Michigan area for you.
You must be on alert for the warning signs of busted pipes or the start of frozen pipes in Oxford Michigan. Prevention is always the cheapest way to go with plumbing in Michigan and it beats having a massive flooded basement that will need work.
Winter plumbing problems in Michigan can consist of:
- Leaks
- Clogged drains
- Frozen pipes
- Water heater not working
- Ice in your septic system
If you have any leaking seals or fittings
As a rule, you need to repair any leaks that may pop up. You will want to check the seals and fittings because they may shrink making them hard to put together. You may need to replace the pipes or replace the O-rings. The best advice we can offer is to schedule a plumber to check up on all your pipes and make sure they aren’t loose or weak.
Frozen pipes are most common in the winter
If you have a trusted plumber around Oxford Michigan you may want to give them a call if you are worried you may have ice in your plumbing system. If not taken care of ASAP you could have a flooded house in mere seconds.
You may want to let water “slow drip” from time to time to prevent frozen pipes. We also recommend that if you live in a condo to have your garage shut if you’re not outside the insulation from the garage can help warm the pipes. If you have frozen pipes you can also use a hairdryer to heat up the area of the frozen pipes.
After all of that, you want to inspect the pipes for leaks and a plumber in Oxford Michigan can help you with that.
Kitchen or bathroom clogged drains happen
Make sure you watch what you put down both bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks as they can block the pipe walls and you can have a backup really fast. We recommend cleaning plates off and using the trash more than the sink. If you have a clog of any kind you can use a de-greaser tablet to put down the drain but if those don’t work call your local plumber in the Oxford neighborhood for a professional drain cleaning.
Your water heater may need to be serviced
With the temperature below zero, you can find that your water heater may be working overtime. Working at maximum capacity over time that’s bad for your water heater. To prevent this we recommend that you have the water heater serviced to make sure it can take on the winter. A quality water heater can last up to ten years before replacing it.
You want to make sure that your water heater can at least get up to 120 degrees. If this doesn’t happen you can be assured that repairs and replacement is in the future.
Beware of what can happen to your septic tank
Wind and water erosion can happen to the pipes of your septic tank. If you have frozen pipes that connect your septic to your house the septic system will stop working.
It’s important to know that if this happens you will want to reach out to a licensed plumber in Oxford Michigan a septic system contractor. It can be a costly repair if you don’t have a professional cleaning up the mess that will happen.
If you prepare for the signs of winter plumbing problems you won’t have to worry about any major costs or repairs. Having a plumber nearby in Michigan doesn’t hurt though if any issues spring up for you.
Plumbing issues can be the most expensive repairs you do to your house in the winter and we want you to be prepared.