Winterizing your plumbing before the temperature drops below freezing is something every homeowner or tenant should do. Often, our pipes are the last thing we are thinking about prior to the cold weather season. Our minds are filled with tasks, family, and getting our homes ready for the holidays.

Part of that list should be winterizing the plumbing. If left ignored, the pipes will be exposed to the cold weather and can freeze during cold weather. Cracks and breaks will cause them to leak and possibly flood the home.

 

There are several ways for you to winterize your pipes and keep them from freezing when it gets cold…

 

No matter how you do it, you need to cover any exposed pipes on your property. Covering and insulating materials can be purchased so you can wrap your pipes and faucets. Be sure they are insulated against the cold.

 

If you are thrifty and can work the material to look decent, you can use things you find around your house to temporarily insulate your pipes.

 

Since the materials will need to surround the pipes, it may be a little more difficult to wrap them than it would be with ready made materials, but it can save you money if you are in a tight spot financially.

 

It’s better to have something look a little funny than it is to have to come up with the funds to repair damage done by frozen plumbing.

 

It may sound a little crazy, but old furniture you would otherwise get rid of has materials that you could use for insulation.

 

The upholstery is normally very sturdy so it makes good wrapping material. Inside every piece of upholstered furniture is binding and batting materials. This same material can be used underneath the upholstery as insulation.

Another item you may think is useless that most people end up throwing away is plastic grocery bags. There are so many uses for these bags that people think of, and among the ideas is to use them as ties.

Since they are plastic, they help to keep moisture away from whatever you wrap with them. You would use them to tie the insulating material onto the pipes, wrapping the bags around the pipes as you go.

Old mattresses are very interesting to work with. The outer lining is normally attached to a batting, so it should be easy to cut away strips that are about a yard long. If the batting or insulating material underneath is not attached, you’ll be cutting that as well. Take the strips and wrap the pipes as you would wrap a sprained ankle, just go around and around until the strip ends and start another length by tying them together.

The grocery bags don’t need to be cut because you can basically take them by the handles and roll them over to form a strip. Tie them onto the pipe over the other materials in the same exact manner you did the insulation to where the whole pipe is covered.

There should be plenty of other things around that you can find to insulate or wrap the pipes and keep them from freezing. Many things we throw away every day can have useful purposes whether for temporary uses or long-term. It’s always good to go green, and surprisingly you can be green when you wrap your pipes!