Tips for Winterizing Your Plumbing in Seattle

Brrr, can you feel that Seattle chill in the air? Winter is coming, and those icy winds and frosty nights aren’t messing around. While you may be prepared with your coziest sweaters and space heaters, is your home’s plumbing system ready for the deep freeze? Letting those pipes go into winter unprepared is just begging for a disastrous (and soaking wet) situation.

Nobody wants to be dealing with burst pipes and flooded basements when you should be cozied up watching Netflix and drinking hot chocolate. Avoiding that freezing nightmare is as simple as taking a little time to properly winterize your plumbing before the cold starts nipping. From insulating exposed pipes to draining exterior lines, a few preventative measures can save you one massive headache later.

Don’t be that person scrambling for a plumber on Christmas Eve with an indoor swimming pool situation. Get ahead of the game by winterizing like a pro using these cold weather plumbing tips tailored for Seattle’s harsh winters. Your future self will thank you!

Preparing the Exterior Plumbing

Let’s start our winterizing mission on the outside of your Seattle home where some of the most vulnerable pipes are hiding. Just because they’re outdoors doesn’t mean they get a pass from frozen pipe protection duty.

Those exterior faucets, hose bibs, and other exposed lines are pretty much sitting ducks when the icy winds start howling. Leave them uninsulated and you’re just begging for an expensive plumbing disaster. Don’t risk letting Jack Frost get fresh with your exterior pipes – it’s time to bundle them up!

The Insulation Installation

Your first line of defense is going to be insulating any exposed outdoor piping and faucet situations. Luckily, there are some simple and affordable insulation options to keep things nice and toasty:

Faucet Covers – These nifty little foam insulation domes just slip right over your exterior faucets to seal out the cold. Like a warm tiny house for your hose bibb!

Pipe Insulation Sleeves – For exposed pipes, you’ll want to wrap them up in some insulating pipe sleeves or wraps. Basically like a cozy blanket to keep that water flowing freely.

Heat Cables – If you really want to go the extra mile, you can use portable heat cables or tapes that actually warm up those vulnerable pipes with a little electricity. Toasty!

The key is making sure any exposed outdoor plumbing is properly sealed up before the real cold sets in. Once those insulation materials are installed snugly, your exterior pipes should be protected from most normal winter conditions.

The Drain Game

Of course, insulation can only do so much if you’ve got standing water just waiting to freeze up. For any exterior pipes or plumbing lines you won’t need during the winter months, your best bet is to go ahead and drain them out completely.

Start by locating your home’s main interior shut-off valve and turning off the water supply to any outdoor faucets or lines. Once the water is off, go outside and open up each faucet or valve to allow any remaining water to drain out. Make sure to leave them open, allowing full drainage and air flow to prevent any pockets of water from refreezing.

You’ll also want to disconnect any attached hoses and drain those out as well. Any water left standing in there is just waiting to freeze up and cause problems. Same goes for insulating or shutting off your home’s exterior sprinkler system if you’ve got one. A professional irrigation company can help “blow out” any lingering water using compressed air if needed.

By draining and shutting off the water supply to any non-essential outdoor plumbing, you’re removing the risk of frozen pipes entirely in those areas. No water means no ice expansion to burst those pipes from the inside! It’s the total winterization solution when you won’t need that plumbing until spring.

With some basic insulation and drainage tactics, you can knock out protecting that exterior plumbing before the real cold sets in. Seal up any exposed pipes while removing the risk entirely from seasonal lines you won’t use. Consider it the first step to full winterization peace of mind!

Winterizing the Interior Plumbing

Okay, the outdoor plumbing is all bundled up and drained for a long winter’s nap. But we’re not done yet! Time to turn our attention indoors to any vulnerable pipes that could still fall victim to the freezing temperatures.

While your interior plumbing is safer overall being tucked away inside the home, there are still some potential trouble zones that need addressing. Unheated areas like attics, crawl spaces, or garages can get just as bone-chilling as the outdoors. Leave any exposed pipes in those spaces unprotected and you’re just asking for ice explosions.

The Insulation Station (Again)

Much like we did outside, insulating those vulnerable interior pipes is going to be key to keeping things from freezing up. Luckily, it’s pretty much the same strategy:

Pipe Insulation Sleeves – Wrap up any exposed plumbing pipes with some insulating pipe sleeves, wraps, or even fiberglass insulation batting. The thicker the better!

Faucet Insulation – For any indoor faucets or valves on exterior walls, you may want to insulate those too using foam faucet covers.

Heat Cables – For extra protection in really unheated areas, you can use portable heat cables or tapes to warm up those vulnerable pipes.

The key is identifying any plumbing runs in unheated interior spaces and making sure they’re properly insulated from the cold. Attics, crawl spaces, basements, and garages should all get checked. A little insulation goes a long way in keeping those pipes from freezing!

The Drip Trick

Of course, insulation can only do so much in the harshest of deep freezes. When the mercury is really plummeting, you may want to take the extra precaution of allowing some faucets to slowly drip overnight.

By letting a thin stream of water trickle out, you’re actually relieving pressure in the pipes and preventing any expansion from freezing water. See, when water freezes it expands in volume by about 9%. That expansion inside your pipes is what leads to cracking and bursting situations. But by allowing a slow drip, you’re giving that expansion room to breathe.

So which faucets should you leave dripping? Any that have plumbing runs through unheated spaces are good candidates. Think laundry sinks, utility tubs, exterior-facing kitchen or bathroom sinks, etc. Just a slow, cold drip overnight can be the difference between frozen pipe peace of mind or a huge mess.

The Heating Hack

One last key winterization tactic for your interior plumbing is to make sure you’re keeping things plenty warm inside your home overall. After all, your pipes are running behind those walls and under floors. If the inside air temperature drops too low, you’re putting all that plumbing at risk.

Experts recommend keeping your thermostat set no lower than 55°F, even when you’re away from home. Any colder than that and you’re just making it easier for those pipes to freeze up from the inside out. Keeping your home properly heated is just as important as insulating those plumbing runs.

You’ll also want to make sure any drafty areas around piping are sealed up with caulk or insulation. Letting cold outdoor air infiltrate around pipes can negate your heating efforts. A well-insulated and air-sealed home helps maximize the heat keeping your plumbing safe.

Between insulation, strategic dripping, and keeping things nice and toasty, you should be able to rest easy knowing your interior pipes are protected. Just a little preventative plumbing love goes a long way in avoiding those freezing fiascos! Now we just need to prepare for any worst case scenarios…

Preparing for Emergencies

Okay, let’s be real – even if you’ve winterized the heck out of your plumbing, crazy stuff can still happen when Seattle’s winters get wild. The cold can be quite crafty and just find a way to freeze over a pipe when you least expect it.

When the inevitable frozen pipe burst happens, you’re gonna want to be ready to go into full-on emergency mode ASAP. We’re talking springing into action before you’ve got a straight up Category 5 waterworks hurricane flooding your basement or living room. We’re talking soaked drywall, ruined furniture, your life’s possessions turned into a soggy mess real quick. Not a vibe.

That’s why having a gameplan ready to execute at the first sign of a burst is an absolutely essential part of winterizing your plumbing game. When you’re suddenly ankle-deep in cold water, you need to know exactly what to do and where everything is. Here’s how to get prepped so you don’t get wrecked:

Know Where That Main Shutoff Valve Is

Priorities numero uno – every single person in your home needs to know the exact location of the main water shutoff valve and how to operate it. When a pipe explodes, cutting off the water supply to prevent any more flooding is crisis management step one.

The main shutoff is usually in the basement, garage, or by the front hose bib area. It’ll be a thick valve that lets you cut all water flow to the home when you twist it all the way. Make sure it’s clearly labeled and easy to access so anyone can get to it in a panic.

Stock Up on Plumbing Supplies

You’ll also want to have some basic plumbing tools and supplies stashed and ready for any burst pipe triage. You don’t need to be a full-on contractor, but some key supplies will be clutch:

• Pliers, wrenches, utility knife (for shutting valves, patching holes)
• Duct tape (for quick leak patching)
• Rags and towels (for soaking up standing water)
• Mop, bucket, wet/dry shop vac (for water removal)
• Pipe fittings, epoxy, etc. (for temp repairs)

Having this kind of stuff on hand lets you take fast action to stop flooding and minimize damage until a real plumber can come. It’s like a little burst pipe survival kit!

Know a Good Remediation Crew

Realistically, you’ll probably still have at least some water damage to deal with even if you shut things off quickly after a major burst. That’s why having a pro water remediation company’s number saved is so clutch.

These crews have industrial extractors and dehumidifiers to rapidly get all the moisture out of your home ASAP. They’ll start drying and dehumidifying the area immediately to stop any more damage or mold from happening. Having their info ready lets you get them out fast to start recovering.

You’ll also want to double check if your homeowner’s insurance covers water damage from frozen pipe bursts. Most do, but get the details so you can document everything properly just in case.

The last thing you want is to be scrambling for help and info in the middle of that wet ‘n wild chaos. Having a plan mapped out means you can just execute it right away and stop the spread 

The Winterization Wrap-Up

There you have it, Seattle – everything you need to know about properly winterizing your plumbing for the frosty months ahead. From insulating those exposed pipes to draining exterior lines and prepping for emergencies, a little preventative TLC goes a long way.

Dealing with frozen pipes and all the damage they can cause is the last thing anyone wants over the holidays. But by following these cold weather tips tailored for our unique climate, you can rest easy knowing your plumbing is protected from Seattle’s icy wrath.

Of course, if the whole winterization process seems a bit overwhelming, don’t go it alone! The pros at Fox Plumbing and Heating offer comprehensive plumbing winterization services to ensure everything is properly prepped. Our team of expert plumbers can insulate, drain lines, inspect for vulnerabilities, and more – giving you total peace of mind. Don’t risk a frozen pipe nightmare, call Fox Plumbing at (206) 654-4986 today!