Scarborough Home Repairs: Common Winter Plumbing Problems

The cold temperatures and winter weather hits everyone hard. Your car takes a beating. Your body may not be happy. And your house is under a lot of stress, too. From your roof to your basement, freezing weather can make certain systems in your home go awry. If you’re experiencing water problems, don’t panic. Handyman Connections offers plumbing services in Scarborough, even in the worst weather.

Water Lines Break

Freezing temperatures can cause water to freeze in your pipes. Broken pipes are a common issue, but there are some things you can do to prevent frozen pipes:

• Leave the faucet on when you leave the house or when temperatures drop low at night.
• Open your cabinets to provide more heat to your pipes.
• Winterize pipes and plumbing that won’t be used over the winter.

If your pipes do freeze, shut off the water at the main supply to reduce pressure on your pipes and to prevent a burst pipe when the water is restored. A plumber can help you unthaw pipes safely without risking more damage.

Water Heater Breaks Down

The water heater works really hard in the winter, which can put pressure on the system to keep going. Servicing your water heater can help take care of it, but when it breaks down in the winter, you’ve got a big problem. The water that leaks from the heater could freeze, creating more damage to your floors. Prevent issues by checking your system before winter. If your water heater is very old, add insulation. Newer models have built-in insulation. Clean up around your water heater to make sure it can operate effectively. Know how old your water heater is to know when you need to plan to replace it before it shuts down.

Bad Heating

No one wants to go through the night without heat, but you may not even realize how strained your heater is until it shuts completely down. Many people ask their heater to work even harder in the colder months, but if you’re constantly turning up your thermostat one or two degrees, you may need to have your furnace serviced or repaired.

One thing you can do to help keep your home warmer when it’s cold outside is to seal up air leaks in your windows and doors. You may need weatherstripping or patching to make sure you’re keeping cold air out and warm air in. When you feel cold air coming in through the windows or doors that are closed, it’s time to make some repairs or upgrades to new equipment.

Insulation in your attic can also help with heating and cooling costs. If your insulation is older than 10 years, you may want to have it inspected to make sure it is doing its job. If you don’t think your insulation is doing a good job, but it’s fairly new, it could just need an upgrade to a higher R-value, which is the measure of heat that the insulation allows to pass through.  

If your home doesn’t feel warm enough, based on the thermostat or your own body, an energy audit can be helpful in knowing where to start. It could be your heater. It could be airflow throughout the home. It could be a lot of things, depending on your home and equipment. Handyman Connection not only specializes in plumbing problems but in all types of home repairs and remodels.

Professional Plumbers Keep Your Home Functioning

Handyman Connection offers a wide range of services, such as plumbing services in Scarborough that make it easy to get your home back to normal. Contact us to get an estimate on the work you need to be done.