Save your home this winter
Water damage is one of the worst enemy to your house during the winter months. It ruins floors, walls, equipment and foundation.
Why the winter months: Pipes freeze, expanding and exploding sending water all over the hosue.
NBC News suggests a few fixes to avoid water damage and costly repairs, and if you go on vacation, they simply suggest to shut off the water main to avoid any accidents.
Here are the recommendations from NBC the Rossen Report:
Insulate your pipes. You can buy simple insulation for about 25 cents a foot.
Replace rubber hoses. Check your washing machine to make sure the hoses aren’t rubber. Steel-braided hoses are inexpensive, costing about $10 each.
Know how to shut off the valve under your sink. “Once a week, you look under the sink and you look for any puddles of water and move your hand along the pipes to see if there are any leaks,” Magliaro said. If there are, shut off the valve.
Check for puddles behind your refrigerator. Many refrigerator leaks are due to the water line that feeds the refrigerator. Magliaro suggests you pull your refrigerator out once a month and look for puddles behind it.
Know how to shut off your water main. With the holidays approaching, many of us are leaving for vacation or visiting family. Experts say if you’re heading out of town, you should shut off your water main. It’s an easy way to prevent major leaks or bursts while you’re away.
The main water shutoff valve is usually located at the point where the main water line enters the home. In homes with basements, it is usually in the basement. In homes that are on a crawl space or slab, it can be in the garage (if one exists), in a first-floor utility closet, or, in many Southern climates, outside of the home.
Click here to read more from NBC …..
