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One of the most difficult parts about owning a home is making sure you’re preparing your home for winter. Not only is it harder to take care of repairs and maintenance during the winter, there are also new problems you have to face, particularly when it comes to your plumbing system. The good news is, a little research can help you understand, prevent and take care of any problems you may have in your Knoxville, TN, home. If you want to know more about common winter plumbing problems, we’ve got you covered.

1. Burst Pipes

The problem you’re most likely to face during the winter is a burst pipe. Pipes burst as a result of water freezing inside of a pipe, which causes the water to expand and eventually break the pipe. When the water inside the pipe thaws out again, it flows straight out of the break in the pipe and into your wall or crawlspace.

While burst pipes are a huge problem, a plumber can help you prevent them fairly easily. All you have to do is make sure pipes located in exterior walls are properly insulated or wrapped with heat cable. If you’re not sure whether or not you have pipes in exterior walls, a plumber can help you figure everything out.

If you do have a pipe burst in your home, make sure you call a professional right away and get your water shut off using the main shutoff valve. You should have a good idea of where your main water shutoff valve is right now so you can quickly access it in case of emergency.

2. Drain Clogs

Most households are a little busier during the winter because everybody is staying inside. The thing is, your plumbing system may not be designed to handle that increase in traffic, especially if you have several children living in your household. This is why one of the most common problems plumbers deal with during the winter is a simple drain clog.

You can prevent drain clogs by being careful about what you’re putting down drains and investing in drain catches to keep drains clean. You can also use a drain cleaner to remove clogs if they aren’t too bad, although it’s important you use an enzyme-based cleaner to prevent pipe damage.

If you have a badly clogged drain that you can’t seem to get unclogged, make sure you call a professional to take care of it for you. Snakes and augers are great tools for removing clogs from drains, but they can cause a lot of damage if you don’t use them right.

3. No Hot Water

One of the worst things you can have happen to you during the cold of the winter is water heater failure. You need hot water to take a comfortable shower each morning and make sure your clothes, dishes and hands are clean throughout the day. However, you might not know that a water heater is only designed to last for about a decade, so it may be time to replace yours.

The first thing you should do if you have no hot water is have a plumber take a look at your water heater. There’s a decent chance you don’t need to have it replaced and can instead have a thermostat or heating element replaced. Your problem could even be as simple as bad thermostat settings. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to get professional help if you have no hot water during the winter.

4. Leaks

The change in temperature during the winter can cause a lot of problems for your plumbing system, especially your water lines. Water lines are often made of copper, which isn’t the best at standing up to the cold weather without changing a bit. When copper gets very cold, it can split. When this happens, you’ll be left with a water line leak that you can’t fix without the help of a professional.

If you want to make sure you’re spotting leaks as soon as they happen, you can invest in a smart leak detection system. A leak detection system essentially keeps an eye on your pipes for you and sends you an alert when you have a leak. The most sophisticated leak detection systems can even give you an accurate gauge of where the leak is located so a plumber can get to it quicker.

5. Frozen Pipes

Burst pipes aren’t the only big problem when it comes to cold temperatures during the winter. Even if your pipes don’t burst, there are still few things quite as inconvenient as having the pipes inside your home freeze. Plus, a frozen pipe has the potential to become a burst pipe at any moment, so it’s something you need to keep a close eye on.

If you have a frozen pipe that hasn’t burst yet, you should call a plumber and have them take care of it. Some people prefer to use a light source of heat to thaw out pipes while others may simply wait it out. In any case, it’s best to get professional help so you don’t have to worry about a burst pipe causing severe water damage in your home.

Get the Help You Need

Staying on top of all the plumbing needs of your home is never easy, but it’s even tougher when you don’t know what problems to watch for. As long as you keep an eye out for these common problems and call a plumber when you spot them, you should be good to go.

Are you in need of a little help with a plumbing problem? Thankfully, My Professional Plumber in Knoxville, TN, can take care of everything in no time at all. Whether you’ve got a frozen pipe, a pipe leak or no hot water, we can get it fixed. Call My Professional Plumber today to schedule an appointment.