NEVADA CITY, Calif. November 27, 2023 – It’s time to winterize your water pipes to protect them from freezing temperatures. This is part one of our winter preparedness series, designed to bring you practical advice and resources for living in the Sierra Nevada.
We recently caught up with Andrew Twidwell, the owner of ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heat & Air, for some expert tips on how to protect pipes and risers. Wrap the outdoor pipes, cover risers and faucets with readily available supplies from your local hardware store. Drain and store garden hoses if you haven’t done so already.
If you have exposed water pipes under the house, wrap them as well. Now is an excellent time to prepare for winter!
Irrigation systems need attention too, best to drain them until next year. Digging around in frozen ground to find a leak is not how you want to spend time outdoors.
Locate the main shutoff valve for water to your house and share the info with everyone in the home. In case of a pipe break, turning off the water supply can prevent flooding in the house and damaging floors. As Andrew explains, eight gallons of water per minute spurting from a broken pipe quickly causes additional damage.
While you’re at the hardware store, maybe grab a snow shovel – the winter weather outlook calls for above average precipitation.