Heating and Plumbing Tips on How to Prepare for Winter

As the winter months get closer and closer, it’sbrtime to start seriously thinking about preparing for the cold and severe weatherbrof New England. Here are 7 tips on how to prevent heating and plumbing problemsbrthat may arise this season. brbr

GeneralbrMaintenance: To avoid costly repairs remember tobrdisconnect all garden hoses and drain your outside silcocks or faucets. Checkbrfor leaks and call before the system fails and shuts off completely.  Have your system cleaned and safety checked yearly to assure everything is workingbrcorrectly. An ounce of prevention costs a lot less than major repairs.

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DrippybrFaucet or Toilet: Nothing is more irritating than a drippybrfaucet or toilet that runs constantly and it can also be extremely expensive ifbryou use city water and damaging if you have a well. Make sure to check allbrfaucets and toilets before it becomes a bigger problem.

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ThermostatbrCheck: Next time you walk by your programmable thermostat,brcheck and see if the low battery is lit. brIf so, change batteries in your thermostat. If your thermostat is notbroperating, you may find yourself with no heat whenbryou most need it.

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SeverebrCold: To avoid frozen pipes, make sure dampers on thebrbaseboard are open and keep the baseboard clear to aid in heat circulation inbryour home.  Forbrthose with warm air systems, be sure the filters are cleaned or replaced asbrclogged filters diminish heat flow and reduce efficiency.

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SeverebrWeather: If weather threatens a loss of electricity you needbrto be prepared as private well pumps utilize electricity.  Keep a supply of bottled water for drinkingbrand fill your bathtub with water. This water may be used to flush your toiletbrby pouring a pail of water into the bowl. Also be familiar as to where yourbrmain water shut off is in case it’s necessary to turn it off to prevent furtherbrdamage.

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BackupbrSystem: If you have no backup source for heat in your home,brit can get uncomfortable in a very short period of time. If the power is outbrfor an extended period, you could also experience frozen and burst water orbrheating pipes. Most systems these days have anbrautomatic backup in case the power does go. Double check your system and readbrthe manual to make sure you are prepared. It’s also a good idea to have severalbrextra blankets around in case you experience longer outages.

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Reset:brDoesbryour boiler have cruise control? If you’re lastbrheating bill was a shocker call your local professional and ask about Tekmarbroutdoor reset control. The tekmar outdoor reset control senses the outdoorbrtemperature, and automatically adjusts your boiler to supply water at thebrtemperature required to heat your home (it also lowers your bill).

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It’s time! Before the temps drop and the snow flies,brbe proactive about problems that could arise this season and if in doubt, don’tbrhesitate to call your local heating and plumbing professional to come out and takebra look.

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Have you scheduled your annualbrheating system checkup? Call Bow Plumbing and Heating of Bow NH for all your heating and plumbing needs.