However, if you are going to be away ALL WINTER you may want to consider having a Personal Plumbing Professional “winterize” your home thoroughly to avoid any damage due to freezing pipes…especially if you lose power and thus heat for an extended period of time.

Plan on Taking a Vacation?

If you are uncomfortable going in to your crawl space under the house contact us and will be happy to schedule a Personal Plumbing Professional to assist you.

! The blocked vents must be removed in the spring to allow proper airflow and avoid rotting wood.

Next if your piping is running near a foundation vent

in an unheated space, you may want to block the

vents, with pieces of foam pad. This will keep

freezing wind from blowing past your piping and

possibly freezing the water inside.

First you want to be sure the water piping is wrapped

with a foam pipe insulation.

Water piping running through unheated spaces such as under the house or an unheated basement may require some extra attention:

When it Requires Extra Attention

Garden Hose Faucets

You may have a faucet installed at the front of your garage and the piping bringing water to this faucet could be installed in a “cold” wall. This means

there is no heat on either side of the wall in which the piping is installed. In this case you may have a shut off valve installed somewhere at the

beginning of this line and hopefully in a heated wall. If so, this valve needs to be shut off and the piping to the faucet drained.

Some hose faucets will not let the water drain from the piping without taking apart the faucet. It may be necessary to send a Personal Plumbing Professional to your home however we are happy to have you email a picture to see if we can help you over the phone.

TIPS FOR WINTERIZING YOUR PLUMBING

3. Turn the power on to your electric water heater. If you have a gas heater turn the thermostat back up to the “normal” setting.

4. Plug in the pump to the recirculating hot water system after you are sure the hot water line is clear of all air.

5. Plug in your instant hot water machine at your kitchen sink.

6. Turn on your filtration system and be sure the timer is set to the correct time of day.

!Important – Be sure the air is out of both the cold and the hot and the water is flowing freely.

1. Open the whole house emergency water shut off valve back on to the open position.

2. Open the faucet that is as far away from the main shut off valve as possible and let the water run until all the air is entirely out of the line.

• If you have a single handle faucet open it to the cold side and let it run and then move it to the hot side until the water is flowing freely.

• If you have a two handle faucet you can open the hot and the cold side at the same time.

When You Return

1. Water Heating Devices

• Turn the circuit breaker off to your electric water heater. This will avoid any chance of an element burning out. Elements in an electric water heater must always be covered with water when they are heating. So a preventative practice is to remember when the water is off turn the power to your electric water heater off also. • If you have a natural gas or propane water heater you can turn the thermostat down to the lowest setting to save on gas and to avoid having to relight the pilot light when you return. • If you have a recirculating hot water system be sure to unplug the pump so it does not run while the water is turned off.• If you have a recirculating hot water system be sure to unplug the pump so it does not run while the water is turned off.• If you have an instant hot water machine at your kitchen sink unplug the unit from the power outlet.

2. Close your Main Whole House Emergency Water Shut Off Valve by Putting it in the Off Position.

• Do you have a whole home emergency water shut off valve? If so, do you know where it is located and if it operates the way it should?• If you do not have a shut off valve, you do not know where yours is located or you are not sure it works contact At Your Service Plumbing to schedule your own Personal Plumbing Professional.

3. Open up a faucet on the lowest floor in order to drain the water system. 3. Open up a faucet on the lowest floor in order to drain the water system.

This is especially true in the winter where extreme weather and power outages can cause water in the lines to freeze.ANOTHER HINT: for those of you traveling during the winter months is to add potable anti-freeze to your toilet bowls to avoid the water freezing and cracking the toilet during a power outage and no heat!

4. If you have any type of filtration system which runs automatically you will want to be sure it is turned off also. Refer to your owner’s manual or call At Your Service Plumbing for assistance.

NOTE:NOTE: If you have someone watching your home while you are away and therefore not shutting down your water, be sure to leave them the phone number for At Your Service Plumbing (253.448.8178). We answer our phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those needing emergency assistance.

Shutting Down the Water to Your Home

When you leave for an extended time it is likely you remember to stop the newspaper and have your mail held or picked up by someone else. But do you ever consider what would happen if you sprung a leak somewhere in your plumbing system? Probably not – unless you have experienced this in the past!

It is a wise idea to shut down your water system before you leave to prevent costly damage from water if a leak should develop. I was lucky the day I had an emergency It is a wise idea to shut down your water system before you leave to prevent costly damage from water if a leak should develop. I was lucky the day I had an emergency shut off valve to my dishwasher break – I was home! There was hot water spraying and steaming inside my kitchen cabinet. Fortunately it was discovered fairly quickly and I was able to shut the water off and avoid any major damage. This event could have had an entirely different outcome had we been away on vacation!

Kathy Thaut, Owner

VACATION TIPS