Compared to some of the states up north, Tennessee doesn't have a lot of cold winter weather to speak of. We don't have blizzards, if it snows it usually melts off the next day, and nobody I know (who is native to the south) has ever owned a snow shovel. However, despite our mild weather, there are 5 important things home owners should do to "winterize" their homes.
Make sure hoses are disconnected from outdoor faucets - this is one of the most important things to remember. Although we don't get a lot of freezing temperatures, we do have enough to cause busted pipes. My sister recently made this mistake. There was one night of below freezing temps, the next day she went out to water the dog and the hose had frozen causing water to leak into her newly built house. Luckily there was no permanent damage, but it could have causes need for major repairs.
Insulate exposed plumbing pipes
Secure crawlspace entrances - this not only helps prevent plumbing issues, but will also save you money by making your home more energy efficient.
Use weather stripping around exterior doors and caulk around windows.
If you go on vacation, set your thermostat to at least 55 degrees to prevent plumbing disasters.
There are many more things that can be done not only to protect your home from the winter, but also to save you money on your energy bills and save you from costly repairs. If you would like to know more please email dacia@exitdiverisified.com
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Few options were available to handle risk of frozen pipes especially for unoccupied properties. Worrying about the damages a burst pipe and cause to property or an investment can make it hard to sleep at night. A fairly new device out that installs in a home so easy that there's no need to call a plumber. Anyone that can connect a pair of flex hoses under a bathroom sink can easily perform the install in less than 15 minutes. Redytemp is a device that allows you to maintain water at a set temperature throughout the plumbing lines in a home. Setting the unit to a low temperature, say 45F, is more then enough to prevent the homes pipes from freezing. The Redytemp monitors the temperature of water in the homes water lines. If the water falls below the temperature you've set, it turns on a small pump that circulates water throughout the whole house. Once the 45F water temp is achieved, it stops pumping / circulating and continues monitoring water temperature. Moving water prevents pipes from freezing and bursting. It's small size of 6" x 7" x 7" makes it extremely portable. It's low power consumption of 60 watts "intermitently" (4) 5 minute cycles per hour. Makes it a more efficient option when compared to heat tape or turning up the heat and opening cabinets. Redytemp is the only hot water circulator that has this low temperature set point capability built exclusively for preventing pipes from freezing and bursting. The old saying "An ounce of prevention..." does apply in this situation. For those interested here's a link http://www.redytemp.com/heat-tape-freezing-pipes-prevent-frozen-pipes.htm