We asked our expert, Dwayne Bowman, Director of Property Services for EpiCity, what he sees as the top five tips to get your property ready for winter. Dwayne is licensed as a Master Plumber and Conditioned Air Contractor and oversees the facility operations at all of our management properties. Here are his five tips:
- Make sure your heating unit is serviced and functioning properly before you need it! Maintenance plans not only provide some immediate benefits, but also reduce the likelihood of any future problems developing. Everyone wants to make sure their HVAC system keeps them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. A regular maintenance plan will help ensure that outcome.
- Winterize your exterior faucets. Winterizing your outdoor plumbing is incredibly important. It might seem like a chore, but it can prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting (an emergency plumbing situation which can have costly and damaging effects).
- Drain and turn off your irrigation system before December. Keep a small bucket of ice melt out, too! If an irrigation system isn’t properly winterized, water will be left in the pipes all winter. When temperatures get below freezing, the water will freeze and expand in the pipes. Similarly to the sprinkler heads and pipes, valves, anti-siphon devices and even backflows can be severely damaged by ice and could be irreparable and might need to be replaced altogether.
- Turn your gas service on. Many people turn it off during warm months and forget to turn it back on in the winter until they are cold or a water pipe bursts.
- Avoid overusing space heaters. They are energy inefficient and can cause power problems such as tripping breakers. If your heater keeps tripping the circuit breaker, you need to figure out why this is happening to avoid potential danger.
As the Director of Property Services, Dwayne threw in a freebie, “My sixth tip is to adjust the timer on your exterior lighting. We fall back on our wintertime change and you don’t want to be caught in the dark . . . or the cold.”
Contact our Property Services Director, Dwayne for all your winterizing questions and needs at DBowman@EpiCity.com or 770-457-2300 x 5.