Kitchen PlumbingDrains that are clogged with grease, oils, fibrous waste, and food are much more likely to crack and freeze when cold weather arrives. This is because these food materials and byproducts solidify or coagulate in your plumbing and cause excess water to exert pressure on the pipes. During a winter in Grand Rapids, then, do not pour your cooking oils and grease down the drain.

Secondly, to properly flush your pipes, run cold water both before and after using your garbage disposal to flush out your sink’s primary plumbing.

Bathroom Plumbing

When its cold outside, conserving your hot water is important. Ask family members to space their showers out in increments of 10 minutes to ensure that your pipes have enough hot water. Also, wash your dishes during a period of the day when the bathroom’s water supply is not heavily in use.

If you notice that your showerhead is releasing a weak stream of water, fill a plastic bag with a cup of vinegar, and soak the shower head overnight in the bagged liquid. When you wake up the next morning, remove the bag from the shower head and use a brush or finely-toothed come to scrape away the minerals that have deposited in the showerhead. This process will increase the pressure in the showerhead.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Frozen plumbing is one of the biggest wintertime dangers in Grand Rapids. Not only do frozen pipes cut off your home’s water supply, the plumbing is extremely expensive to fix or replace. To keep your pipes from freezing, then, remember to keep your plumbing unclogged.

About once every five days, use a drain cleaning solution on your bathroom’s pipes and drains to clean out any shampoo, hair, or debris that has accumulated over the course of the past few days.

Another option to prevent frozen pipes is to insulate your home’s plumbing. To insulate your pipes, wrap specialized foam padding around them. Secure this insulating padding with insulating tape to provide a snug fit that will keep freezing air out, and heat in.