This month we remind you to: 1) Winterize your exterior water spigots. 2) Have your heating system serviced.

#1 Winterize Your Exterior Water Spigots With the cold weather upon us, it is time to perform the very important maintenance ritual of winterizing your exterior water spigots. Forgetting to perform this chore can result in frozen pipes.  When pipes freeze, they expand and this can cause breaks / leaks.  Every year I hear about basements flooding because of this. Don't let that happen to you. Types of Spigots There are two primary types of spigots: One, I simply refer to as a "standard", or "regular" spigot, and the other is referred to as a "frost-free spigot". Frost-free spigots are designed to eliminate the risk of freezing water.A frost-free spigot has a stem portion that extends into the house, where an interior, built-in valve is located. So once the exterior valve is turned off, the water flow is actually shut off inside the heated wall line.   If the faucet is properly installed (sloping to the house exterior), the stem portion is drained, eliminating any water from the areas of the pipe that can freeze. Note: You still must remember to disconnect any garden hoses before the winter.   Some frost-free spigots also have built-in anti-siphon valves (circled in red - below). Anti-siphon valves are like one-way gates for water. The purpose is to keep unsafe / dirty water from reversing flow and entering the drinking water supply.   In most cases, frost free spigots do not have interior shut off valves.  But if they are present, they should be turned off for the winter season. Standard (older styled) spigot must have interior shut off valves and if they don't, you should have them installed. How to Winterize a Standard Spigot Opinions vary on the best way to drain outdoor spigots.  Here is the approach I use at my own home: 1) EVERY FALL: Before the first freeze, turn the water flow on to all exterior spigots. 2) Next: shut off all interior valves (usually 2) that supply water to the exterior spigots. 3) Next: open the air petcocks (small caps located on the interior shut-off valves). This will allow air to enter the pipe and will help drain the remaining water out.  After the water has drained out, replace the petcock caps. I believe it is best to leave the outdoor valves open during the winter. The reason is that it is more likely for a valve to freeze up in the closed position than in the open position.  A valve handle that freezes in the closed position will likely develop leaks when you turn it. #2 Service Your Heating System Whether your home has a forced-air heating system (furnace), or a hot water heating system (boiler), an annual tune-up is always recommended. This is especially true for units that are 5 or more years old. Even when a system is generating heat, it may not always be operating / burning properly. A properly adjusted appliance mainly produces safe byproducts: carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), but improperly adjusted appliances can produce toxic carbon monoxide (CO). All home owners should have their heating systems periodically serviced to ensure that they are operating safely and efficiently.  Maintenance contracts can be purchased through your power company Excel Energy, or Centerpoint Energy You can also hire a heating contractor to service your system annually, or bi-annually. One company I have referred for years is R & S HVAC www.RSHeatOnline.com R & S HVAC offers a 36 Point Furnace Safety inspection and tune up. "If someone buys a new Furnace or AC from me, I always include the 10 Year No Worries Guarantee. All parts and labor are covered for any defects for 10 years and if they do experience a problem, I will have them back up and running within 24 hours of notification or we willput them up at a luxury hotel until we have their system working," John Hagen - Owner, R & S HVAC

Contact Information Tim Walz, Suburban Home Inspections, Inc. phone: 651-276-9918 e-mail: tim.walz@msn.com website: www.homeinvestigator.com