Winter Plumbing Checklist

What to do when the temperatures stay below freezing:

  • The first thing to do is when the temperature drops below freezing is to keep your water running. By allowing a small trickle of water to run, water will keep moving through your pipes lowering your chances of your pipes freezing over. Remember that the cost of the extra water you use is usually much cheaper that the cost of repairing a broken pipe.
  • Another thing that you can do to help your pipes is to open the cabinet doors of your home to let the warm air in your home reach the pipes. This will also help your pipe keep warm enough to help stop them from freezing over.

What to do if your pipes freeze over:

  • The first thing you should do in the event of frozen pipes is to shut the water off immediately. You should not attempt to thaw your pipes out without turning off the main shut off valve to your home.
  • The next step that you should take is thaw the frozen pipes with warm air. The idea is to melt the frozen water in the pipes by warming the air around it. Be sure not to leaving any space heaters you use unattended and also do not use kerosene heater or open flames. If you do not feel comfortable doing this part on your own, JJ Kokesh and Son has a special machine that we use to thaw pipes.
  • Finally, it is important to be careful turning the water back on. Once you get the pipes thawed out, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that might have been caused by the frozen pipes. If you do find the pipes have been damaged, please give us a call at 636-391-1233 so that our dedicated team of plumber can help you get your pipes back in working order.

10 Plumber Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

We asked our team of plumbers for some tips to share with homeowners. Hope this helps you avoid a plumbing problem!

1.

Know where your main shut off is before the emergency, because an emergency is going to happen at some point and being able to get to and turn off the water to your home fast can make a huge difference.

2. 

Never use a brick in your toilet tank as a water saver. The brick can disintegrate and break the fill and flush mechanisms in the tank.

3.

The BIGGEST No-No for your toilet?? “FLUSHABLE” Wipes – they actually don’t disintegrate and cause clogs all the time.

4.

That broken disposal? You might be able to fix it with out calling the plumber. Underneath the disposal there is usually a button or an inset for an allen wrench. Pressing this button or inserting and turning the allen wrench will free us a jammed disposal making it work again.

5.

Want another garbage disposal tip?? To get rid of any smell or to clean the disposal fill the disposal with lemons and ice.

6.

Winterize your outside faucet to avoid frozen pipes in the winter – take the hose off, turn off the shut off valve inside and open up the faucet to allow it to drain.

7.

Think your toilet is running? There is a simple way to find out – add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait 30 minutes. If you see color in the bowl you have a leak.

8.

Don’t use chemical drain cleaners down your drains. Any splash back could be extremely dangerous and can disintegrate pipes.

9.

Water pipes are never a good place to hang things – even something you think is light could be enough weight to cause a failure, break, or leak.

10.

Yes, Licensed and Insured Plumbers are going to be more expensive but this also gives the homeowner recourse if something isn’t done right. A homeowner can appeal to the city who issues the license and a properly insured contracted will be able to handle any problem that comes up on a job.