How To Protect Your Home for the Winter Season

Before temperatures begin to decline, be sure to protect your pipes!

Once December hits in Huntsville & Madison, AL we begin to see temps dropping quickly. Here are some simple steps you can take immediately to keep your pipes from freezing advised from Madison Water Utility:

1. Check your outdoor hose bibs (spigots) to make sure all hoses are disconnected and the spigots are turned off and drained. Protect your hose bibs with foam seals (you can find foam covers at Lowes or Home Depot).

2. Insulate your pipes in unheated areas like crawl spaces, garages & attics.

3. Leave the heat on, even in unused areas of your house. Also, did you know that the blade rotation on your fan matters? Counterclockwise is for cooling, while clockwise rotation helps to redistribute warm air during the heating season!

4. If you go out of town, keep your thermostat on at least 55 degrees and open any cabinets where sink plumbing is against an outside wall. This allows the homes warm air to better circulate, which can prevent exposed pipes from freezing.

5. Turn the faucets on occasionally to keep water moving through your system and slow down the freezing process. Aim for about five drips per minute, suggests HouseLogic.