Winterizing your pipes is one of those things that could potentially save you thousands of dollars in costly repairs, but many people don't know about it until it's too late.
Luckily for all of us, one TikTok user's dad told her how to winterize pipes. Now, she's sharing that knowledge with the rest of us.
The scoop
"On today's DIYs my dad taught me: How to winterize your pipes," TikToker Hanashappyhome (@hanashappyhome) told her 221,000 followers. "Follow these simple steps," she wrote in the caption.
The process itself is easy. First, you find the shutoff valve for your outdoor faucet and turn it 90 degrees to shut it off. Then, after you disconnect your hose, you turn the spigot and let all the water that is sitting in the pipe drain out. And that's it.
@hanashappyhome DIYs my dad taught me: How to winterize your pipes Why? This prevents any water sitting inside your pipes does not freeze over the winter, and cause a pipe to burst. Follow these simple steps: 1- Find the shut off valve for the outdoor faucet. Mine's in the furnace room 2- Disconnect your hose. 3- Turn the spigot on and let the water drip out. Then turn it off What other ways do you prep for winter? #easyDIYs #homeownertips ♬ Waterfalls - TLC
How it's helping
When water freezes, its volume expands. That means that if your pipes contain sitting water that you don't drain, when that water freezes it could cause a fracture in the pipe — and that is definitely not something you want to be dealing with.
Bob Vila recommended that you make sure all pipes inside your home are well-insulated and set the temperature to at least 55 degrees when you leave your home.
For outdoor pipes, like the one that Hana winterized in her TikTok video, Vila agrees with the steps she laid out, writing, "Disconnect and store garden hoses. If your home has a separate shut-off for external faucets, turn it off and drain the water from those faucets."
What everyone's saying
Of course, it's always nice to have a video accompanying this type of advice, but even that may not be enough sometimes.
"How does one locate the shutoff valve for the outdoor faucet? If you're, hypothetically, a complete newb," a commenter asked.
It's a good question, and even though Hana didn't reply to the comment, there are numerous tutorials online. But the first place to look is near the outdoor faucet, either outside or inside in the basement, crawl space, utility room, or garage.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
