Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver area: Last chance!
Freezing water expands and bursts pipes.
Expanded water in the pipes will burst their confinement within exterior taps and piping, causing water to flow out the splits once thawed, which can lead to undue flooding due to not shutting them off properly. This is a common occurrence in Lower Mainland homes.
In Southern BC, (Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and Lower Mainland (Surrey, Langley and Delta) areas, it's not uncommon to have freezing temperatures all the way to the end of February)
To properly winterize an outside tap we should locate the interior shutoff tap.
Here's a step by step on how to winterize your exterior plumbing.
- Locate all your outside taps and their associated interior shutoff taps.
- Turn off the water using the the interior shutoff taps with a drain cap (little metal cap is the drain).
- Go outside and find the outside taps and open them up half way.
- Go back to the interior shutoff taps. This interior shutoff tap will come equipped with an drain valve on the side of the tap. It's a little brass cap on the side of the shutoff tap. By unscrewing this cap you will allow water to exit the pipe and air to facilitate draining of the balance of the pipe.
Some water will run out, but hopefully it will siphon out to the outside taps. Once the water has completed draining, close the drain on the interior shut-off tap.
If you leave the taps any longer this year, the chances are good for an exterior freeze. The pipes would burst once it thaws, and then the water will continue to run because of splits in the pipe. This turns into a big plumbing bill, so it's always smart to winterize first so you don't have to ask questions later.
As an added value to Walkabout Inspections, we offer to show you how to winterize and de-winterize your home. Just give us a call and we can do it together.