Building Value through Winter Home Review

In those parts of the country where winter really hits, a plumbing contractor takes on the work and responsibility of protecting pipes from freezing. Precautions that might be obvious to the contractor may not be for the homeowner. Whether it’s a winter checklist or a conversation, this is one up-sell the customer will appreciate.

“There are some common mistakes homeowners make each fall,” says Rob Basnett, owner of Rob Basnett Plumbing and Heating in Littleton, Mass. “One of them is neglecting to turn off outside faucets with the indoor shut off. If they have a frost-proof sill cock, they still need to disconnect the garden hose so water from the faucet is properly drained.”

He also advises homeowners to avoid turning down their thermostats by more than five degrees, especially in the bitterly cold weather. “We suggest to never lower it past 60 degrees otherwise the pipes are at risk. If wind gets to the pipes, they are at risk.”

Basnett has his technicians conduct a thorough pipe inspection as part of his company’s customer service agreement.

A Necessary Service
Dave Adelmann, president of Richfield Plumbing Co. in Bloomington, Minn., doesn’t use a service agreement but he does know by the calendar when its time to discuss winterizing.

“We advise our customers during service calls,” he says. “We call it our pre-winterization check. Customers appreciate the suggestions. Many times it’s little ideas. But sometimes it’s necessary to reroute pipes that are vulnerable to freezing, such as ones in an outer wall or crawl space. We’re not doing our job if we don’t point out problems that we know will grow to more expensive ones.”

Some winter vulnerabilities aren’t as obvious. “In our part of the country, if the ground freezes down to the sewer line, and it can, there’s a problem,” Adelmann adds. “A house with a dripping bath faucet or running toilet will allow for water accumulation that can freeze a sewer pipe.”

Knowing When Pipes are Frozen
Both men deal with emergency calls when pipes burst. Often times the customer isn’t aware the pipes are frozen. Giving them some tips to spot this frigid malady can save major headaches for the plumber and the homeowner.

“When it gets really cold we advise customers to check each bathroom and run the water,” says Basnett. “If it doesn’t run, there’s a problem. If they use hydronic heat, they need to check each zone in their house and see of its working. By catching frozen pipes early on, you can thaw them with no problem. We use a pipe thaw machine that works well on copper and steel pipes.”

Frozen pipes might not be the only problem during the winter. Adelmann often gets calls for a sewer smell in the house. “When the heat is running, water seals in traps like floor drains in the basement or unused showers, may dry or ‘freeze up’ due to rapid evaporation,” Adelmann explains. “In these instances sewer gas escapes. If you run water thought such traps, the problem is alleviated. Also, the water heater falls under our purview. Because houses are a lot tighter today, we check water heater venting and fresh air intake so carbon monoxide isn’t being emitted.”

A Servicing Opportunity
Eastern Mechanical Inc., based in Biddeford, Maine, has traditionally been a commercial mechanical contractor for the construction industry. During the past eight months they have added residential service to their capabilities. Ron Dunsmore is an operational manager for the firm. He finds that winterizing homes would be a great way to build this new customer base noting that Maine consumers are conscious of preparing their homes for winter.

“Our initial connection to residential customers was as a subcontractor in the building and remodel of luxury homes,” Dunsmoor related. “Generally the homes were summer homes for customers from neighboring states. We often did the winterizing as part of a one year home warranty, and then passed on subsequent work to other contractors. Unfortunately the homeowners were never happy with the other contractors’ work and wanted us back.”

General contractors were also urging Eastern to add service work. Together with the desire for better profit than provided by low margin bidding, and the enthusiastic support from members from the “Quality Service Contractor (QSC) program through the Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC), the company decided to make the service plunge.

“We have a captive customer base with our client list,” adds Dunsmoor. “We want to use that and build from it to introduce this new service aspect of our company. With our weather, helping residential customers winterize in Maine is a no-brainer and it will help get us in the door.”