Fall Plumbing Checklist: Getting Your Home Ready for Winter

With cooler fall temperatures arriving, now is the time to make sure your home’s plumbing is ready for the cold. Freezing temperatures here in Minnesota can lead to burst pipes, water damage, and a lot of headaches.

A little proactive maintenance now can save you from a major plumbing emergency later. Here is your essential fall plumbing checklist to get your home’s water systems ready for the long winter ahead.

1. Disconnect and Drain Outdoor Faucets and Hoses

This is arguably the most important step for preventing a freeze-up. Even if you have “frost-free” faucets (which are common in newer Minnesota homes), a connected hose can trap water in the line, defeating the frost-free design and leading to a burst pipe inside your wall.

• Disconnect: Remove all garden hoses and attachments from your outdoor faucets.
• Drain: Drain the water from each hose before coiling and storing it in a dry, protected area like your garage or basement.
• Shut Off the Water: Locate the shut-off valve for your outdoor faucets inside your home (it’s often in the basement or utility room) and turn it off. Then, go back outside and open the faucet to allow any remaining water to drain out of the pipe.

2. Test the Sump Pump and Battery Backup

Autumn rains and melting snow can put a serious strain on your sump pump. A non-functioning pump can lead to a flooded basement, which is a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Checking every few months to make sure your sump pump still works can help you avoid a disaster.

• Pour a Bucket of Water: A simple DIY test is to slowly pour a bucket of water into the sump pit. The pump should turn on, expel the water, and then shut off.
• Check the Battery: If you have a battery backup system, you can test it by unplugging your main pump and then pouring water into the sump pit.
• Clean the Pit and Hose: Check for any debris in the pit that could clog the pump’s intake. The discharge hose should be free of any blockages and direct water at least 10 feet away from your home’s foundation.

3. Inspect and Insulate Exposed Pipes

Any pipes in unheated areas of your home, such as a garage, basement, or crawlspace, are at risk of freezing.

• Look for Vulnerable Areas: Take a walk through these areas and look for pipes that run along an exterior wall.
• Add Insulation: Wrap these pipes in foam pipe insulation, which is an inexpensive and easy-to-install product found at any hardware store. This simple step can provide a crucial layer of protection against freezing.

Rely on Robillard

Following this simple checklist can save you from a lot of stress and expensive repairs once the cold weather hits. By taking these few steps, you’ll ensure your home is ready for whatever a Minnesota winter throws at it. But if you ever have questions or need assistance with your home’s plumbing, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts at Robillard. Whether you have a leak, a burst pipe, or a malfunctioning sump pump, we are here to help all year long.

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Foods that Can and Can’t Go Down Your Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal is a powerful tool to make kitchen cleanup easy and keep food waste out of landfills. But you shouldn’t treat it like a garbage can. While it can handle most food you throw at it, there are certain kinds of waste you should avoid putting down your garbage disposal.

Foods You Shouldn’t Put Down Your Disposal

Fats, oils, and grease: Known as FOGs in the industry, this type of food waste may seem harmless, but it’s one of the leading causes of clogs in plumbing and sewers. FOGs often start as liquids, but they will usually congeal and stick to the insides of your pipes, causing stubborn clogs. Common FOGs include cooking oil, butter, peanut butter, bacon grease, salad dressing, mayonnaise, and ice cream.

Fibrous vegetables and fruit peels: Thin and/or stringy foods such as celery and fruit peels often slip through garbage disposals without being ground up properly. This can cause clogs further down your pipes. Particularly stringy foods can also wrap around your disposal’s impellers, causing jams or even motor burnout. Common foods in this category include celery stalks, asparagus, corn husks, onion skins, artichoke leaves, and fruit and vegetable peels.

Starchy foods: These foods absorb water and expand, turning into a thick paste that can clog your drain and hinder your disposal. Small amounts are okay, but you should avoid dumping large quantities down the drain. Examples include pasta, rice, potato peels, bread, and oatmeal.

Hard foods: Most garbage disposals can safely grind up hard foods, including small bones. But even smaller chunks of those foods can cause clogs further down your plumbing, especially if your pipes are older. That’s why we generally recommend against putting them down your disposal. Foods in this category include bones, fruit pits, seafood shells, coffee grounds, and eggshells.

Foods You Should Put Down Your Disposal

Your disposal can handle most foods not mentioned above. Generally, small amounts of soft food waste are safe to put down your disposal. Examples include cooked meat and fruit and vegetable scraps. Citrus rinds are also safe, and they can help freshen up your disposal and combat foul odors! You can also put ice cubes down your disposal to help clean the system and dislodge debris. Always remember to wash waste down a bit at a time rather than dumping large quantities down your drain, which can lead to clogs.

Robillard Plumbing Can Help

Do you have a clog in your garbage disposal or elsewhere in your plumbing? We can help. We use the latest tools and technology to clean your drain and free your pipes of pesky clogs. Located in Maple Grove, MN, we serve the entire northwest Twin Cities metro area.

Contact us today to schedule service!

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