Winter is never a nice time of year. With the hours of sunlight at its lowest, and the weather wet, windy, and very cold, it’s almost as if you’re happy to have an excuse to not go outside! Still, your business needs to be your castle, or else you face taking on maintenance jobs that are made worse by the elements.

Yes, this is a reference to your property’s pipes. For some reason, they seem more susceptible to the wintertime than any other household feature, which is a shame considering they are essential. One burst can lead to a whole lot of grief, so you must work hard to remain comfy.

Here’s how to do it.

Insulate Them

Keeping the thermostat on will work, to a degree. It depends on the temperature because no amount of hot water will prevent an outdoor pipe from freezing over if ice is forming. Mother Nature is too powerful. Therefore, they’ll need extra help, and you can provide it via homemade insulation. All you require is a piece of foam long enough to cover the length of the pipe. Aluminum foil will also work as it will reflect the cold air and concentrate the warm air.

Seal Cracks & Openings

A tiny chip is all it takes in the winter. A small fault will lead to a huge amount of pressure being put on the pipe, and the crack or opening will soon give way. As a result, you should fill it in with silicon to add structural integrity. Caulk is another material at your disposal. Sealing openings not only provides peace of mind, but it helps with energy-efficiency too. The sealed gap can’t let cold air pass it any longer, which means your home should be warmer and energy bills lower.

Swap With Stainless Steel

As the name suggests, stainless steel is excellent for outside use in the winter as it’s designed to be robust, regardless of the conditions. Yet, not all steel is created equal, and some are better than others. Therefore, if you’re thinking about changing the material of your pipes, you want to go with 2205 stainless steel. Why? It’s because it contains 22% of chromium and 3% of molybdenum, making it corrosion-resistant. Then, you don’t have to worry about sealing cracks and chips as there shouldn’t be any in the first place. Happy days!

Don’t Tighten Leaky Faucets

The dripping is enough to drive you insane. Still, a leaky faucet has a trick up its sleeve – it stops pipes from freezing. Although it sounds surprising, the science is solid. After all, the fact that it drips means that water is running through the pipes to the outlet. Therefore, the H2O within the external pipe is moving. Even bitter conditions struggle to freeze running water since the extra energy makes it harder to solidify. So, if you have a leaky faucet, you should let it drip (only by a small amount) for the sake of your business’s plumbing.

Hopefully, this advice will keep you warm and dry until spring!