Preventing Water, Plumbing, & Other Disasters During The Holidays

11/15/2016 (Permalink)

Don't let water damage ruin your holidays

Your holidays are for being with and appreciating those people you love the most. But if you’re a homeowner, an unnecessary water or plumbing disaster could ruin your Christmas, New Year’s, or other holiday.

If you live in a cold climate, the low temperatures combined with higher traffic in your home’s kitchen and bathrooms can lead to unwanted water and plumbing disasters. You don't want to have to call an emergency plumber or water restoration company to your house in the middle of a family gathering. You don't want to have to send everyone home because your plumbing isn’t working or safe.  Or worse yet, if you’re traveling for the holidays, the last thing you want to do is return to a mess after a long trip.

If you’re a homeowner, here are some ways you can help prevent broken or frozen pipes, plumbing issues, and sewage backups.

1. Disconnect all outside water hoses from your outside faucet.Once water freezes, there’s a good chance it will break the pipe and cause flooding.

2. Make sure your automatic lawn sprinklers have been turned off and drained properly.

3. When temperatures get below 25 degrees, consider keeping an indoor faucet dripping at night time.This prevents pipes from freezing.

4. Make sure you know where your home’s main water shut off is. Put a tag on it so anybody can easily find it. You never know when you may be out of town and somebody else may need to enter your house to turn the water off.

5. When you go on vacation consider keeping your heat close to the same temperature you keep it at while at home. If you do turn the temperature down don’t go below 60 degrees. Many people who turn their heat down or off end up with frozen pipes. It’s cheaper to heat your home than it is to pay a disaster cleanup company to clean up a water disaster.

Keep your holidays safe. Call 860-216-2785 and ask for ask your Emergency Ready Profile.

6. In severely cold weather consider leaving the doors of bathroom vanities and kitchen sink cabinets open to allow more heat to get to the plumbing,

7. If you leave town, turn your water off. Water can’t keep running and doing damage if it’s shut off. If you can’t shut off the main water supply because you have an automatic sprinkler system or someone watering the plants while you’re gone, shut off the valves to the most common sources of water damage (dishwashers, ice makers and washing machines). This will protect you in case a hose cracks or lets go. Individual shutoff valves or “stops” are installed on the supply lines leading to most appliances as well as to toilets and faucets. Typical supply stops have a small round or oval handle that you turn clockwise to shut off the flow of water.

8. Install braided stainless steel hoses. Stainless steel braided hoses last longer than rubber or plastic hoses and are less likely to leak. They also prevent mice from gnawing through your lines.  Rubber or plastic supply lines that lead from shutoff valves to appliances, faucets, and toilets become brittle and can leak or even break as they age. While you’re turning water values off inspect the supply lines too. If you find any leaks, cracks, bulges, or signs of corrosion, replace the lines before you leave town. Your best choice is line encased in a braided stainless steel sheath. Shorter versions for faucets and toilets are also available.

9. Install heat tape on your roof if you know that you have problems with ice dams building up on your gutters. Ice dams sneak up under your shingles. When this happens the ice may start to melt and leak into your home.

10. During the holidays many things get flushed down toilets that aren’t meant to be flushed.  Avoid flushing baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, any type of clothing, and plastic products. Check your toilets periodically throughout holiday parties to be sure they are flushing properly so you can avoid backups.

Keep your holidays safe. Call 860-216-2785 and ask for ask your Emergency Ready Profile.

11. Many people think the kitchen sink disposal will grind up and get rid of just about anything. It’s safer to put many of your food remnants in the garbage rather than the disposal. For example, you should avoid potato peels, orange peels, and large pieces of meat because they may cause damage or a water backup.

12.  Make sure all of your home’s C02 detectors work. More deaths are caused by C02 poisoning than by fire.

13. Keep your fireplace safe. Use a metal mesh screen. Don’t use flammables to start a fire. Have your chimney inspected each year. And use fire-resistant materials on the walls around wood stoves. Fire safety is especially important during the holidays when fireplaces are burning in our homes.

14. Be careful about the number of Christmas lights you plug into one socket. Overloading your electrical outlets can lead to fire and smoke restoration.

15. For more holiday safety tips see the National Safety Council’s Holiday Season Safety.

A Wealth Of Natural Disaster Information For You
Every month on our blog, SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield publishes educational articles on how to prevent natural disasters and deal with them quickly and effectively if they occur. Here are a few you might find helpful:  



Why SERVPRO Excels
Many factors make SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield a great choice. We offer:
•    More than 40 years of experience as a leading fire and water cleanup and restoration provider.
•    A network of 1,500 franchises nationwide so we can call in every resource you need.
•    On site evaluation of your natural disaster recovery needs within four hours of you contacting us.
•    Highly trained staff with experience in all types of natural disasters.
•    Assistance with dealing with your insurer and filing a claim.
•    Local knowledge and resources—we know your community and we have relationships with other local organizations that can help in times of need.

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The team at SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield also has specialized training and experience in water damage restoration services, fire damage restoration services, and natural disaster cleanup. Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield (860.216.2785) anytime, 24/7.

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Bloomfield, Connecticut
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