Top 3 Fall Home Maintenance Disasters

The cool, falling Autumn temperatures remind us that winter is coming. That first chilly night can expose serious problems that require a professional plumbing company to handle.

Without a professional inspection and repairs, there could be a disaster right around the corner.

Freezing Outdoor Faucets

When outdoor faucets freeze, water freezes in the pipes as well.

This can cause serious cracks and leaks in the pipe that could mean serious damage or flooding.

While it may warm during the day, at night the temperature can hover right around the freezing mark without you being aware of it.

A plumber should replace a leaky faucet and check the pipes leading to the outdoor faucets before winter.

Once the leaky faucet is fixed, a plumber can locate the interior shutoff valve and turn off the water to the faucets for the cold weather months.

Water Heater Breakdown

During the cooler months, Austin homeowners will often use more hot water than during the summer. This makes it work harder to pump out hot water. To help it run better, the water heater needs to be flushed to remove sediment that has built up over time.

A plumber can test the water heater’s pressure valve while flushing the system too. If the system hasn’t been tested and is over five years old, testing the system can result in a leak. A plumber should be called to flush the system and check the pressure valve.

Leaks and Freezing Pipes

Pipes that are too close to exterior walls can freeze when the temperature drops. If there’s a leak or crack in the pipe, it can cause flooding in the walls of the Austin home.

That can be a serious disaster if the homeowner doesn’t notice the crack immediately. When the plumber checks the pipes, he or she can also wrap them in insulation to ensure that the home doesn’t flood.

Autumn is a time when you should start doing maintenance in anticipation of the coming frigid temperatures.

If you’re going to be away for the entire winter, there are more steps to winterizing your home when it’s going to be empty. You can’t turn down the thermostat and walk away from the home.

The exterior pipes need to be wrapped, and the temperature can’t be below 55 degrees, or the interior pipes will freeze.

If it can go wrong, it will – unless you keep up with a regular maintenance schedule. Call S & D Plumbing to get your Austin, TX home inspected.