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How To De-Winterize Your Plumbing Setup ?

Friday, December 11th, 2009

The winter season leads to winterizing of many of your plumbing fixtures. Winterizing is the process of freezing of water in the pipes and drainages. To prevent this phenomenon, de-winterizing is required to be carried out from time to time.

Sometimes you have to vacate your home for about 2-3 weeks. If the season happens to be winter then it becomes mandatory to de-winterize your plumbing setup before you leave.

Make sure that you carry all the plumbing tools and supplies before the commencement of the de-winterizing task. It is just a 15-20 minutes assignment and doesn’t necessarily call for the involvement of an expert.

Kick off the campaign by cutting short the normal supply to all the plumbing components of the home. The individual valves as well as the main water valve are turned off to render a water-deprived state to your plumbing setup. The main water valve is normally located in the vicinity of the water meter. Remove any insulation from the pipes and water fixtures. Cap out the aerator from the respective faucets and clean off the passage for water.

Now, turn on the main water valve slowly and leave it partially opened. Allow the plumbing components to fill up and observe the physical status of the proceedings. A leaky or faulty segment needs to be repaired immediately. You can either fix it yourself or employ the services of a plumber.

Once the issues with the affected plumbing segments are resolved, resume the task of de-winterizing. Allow a slow and gradual passage of water by turning on the faucets one by one. First, turn them on partially and then completely. Check the state of the overflowing water. No debris or foreign materials in the water confirms the sound state of the setup and de-winterizes the concerned setup.

Flush the toilets twice or thrice such that the filled water drains down conveniently. Make sure that no water is left in the toilet tank. Once toilet is flushed, turn off the affiliated faucets to render normal water supply to the setup. Place the aerators back on to the setup and finish off the task.

Pour some water into the drainage of the floors and refill the water softeners. Also, switch on the power to the respective water-heater.

Scott Rodgers is a renowned author who has been authoring on plumbing for a long time now. His exemplary knowledge has given motivation to a host of workers, ranging from Mansfield Plumbers to Loomis Plumbers.