Plumber offers prevention tips ahead of freezing weather

By On Dec 26, 2021

December 23, 2021 5:53 p.m.

Posted: December 23, 2021 5:53 PM

PASCO, Wash. – Before some extreme winter weather next week, Dustin Cornelius, a plumber at Campbell and Company, said two to three minutes of planning ahead could save you headaches and costly repairs.

“It’s really important that it is done ahead of time and that you do a little preventative maintenance so you don’t have to do a major restoration project due to water damage,” said Cornelius, who is also the plumbing manager.

When the temperature in the area drops, Cornelius says to take up the calls for help.

“Water in the pipes freezes as the water expands it has nowhere to go, so it actually bursts the pipes and causes the leak,” explained the plumber.

Cornelius shared the most common situations they encounter and how you can prevent them.

“Outside taps freeze and burst – then when people turn them on for the first time in winter or spring, you will have a flood in your house. Plumbing pipes under the house, copper water pipes specifically freeze and burst. An easy way to prevent this from happening is to block and isolate all of your crawl space and foundation openings. Make sure you disconnect all of the hoses before it gets cold and leave them off until it gets warm outside and then go to a local hardware store and put the foam covers over them, ”he said.

Cornelius also urges homeowners to pay special attention to outdoor fittings.

“Tube dungarees in particular are mostly installed in insulated walls in the house and if these burst, this leads to damage from stone slabs, floor coverings of this type, so tube dungarees are very important in order to be able to hibernate properly,” he said.

If you’ve broken a pipe and can’t get a plumber out quickly, these options are yours too.

“You can always call the city or the fire department and they can shut off the water for you to prevent further damage until you have a professional repair it,” he said.

Hopefully by now you’ve blown out your sprinklers too.

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