Here’s a few plumbing tips for your home.

• First know your pluming.  I can remember working on an older house when a water pipe going to the washing machine broke. Guess what? It took us a while to shut off the water. The water was freely pouring into the house while we were scrambling about looking for the main shut off.  We found the main shut off under the house, in the crawl space, in the furthest corner from the entrance.   We ended up shutting the water off outside from the water department access.  Luckily, it was summer time so it was easy to locate it.  I was glad this didn’t happen in the middle of the winter with a pile of snow hiding the access. Lesson learned…know where all the water shut offs are located.
• For older houses you might have a plumber install shut offs in various places that are easily accessible inside the house, just in case.
• Prepare your plumbing for cold weather; during winter keep your home warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. You will want to keep the temperatures at least 65 degrees.  You should insulate pipes that are in unheated areas such as a crawl space or a garage.
• If you are going to be away for a while  you may have to drain your plumbing system by a professional to keep your pipes safe.

Knowing your plumbing can help you avoid unnecessary head aches and expenses. It can help you get the best value from your homeowners insurance.

If you’d like to discuss your homeowners insurance needs please give us a call.