Winter Plumbing Tips and Tricks for Harrisburg, PA, Homeowners

October 08, 2026 · 2 min read

A Pennsylvania cold snap can leave you with frozen pipes, cracked outdoor faucets, or water damage when a pipe bursts. A few simple steps before freezing weather can help protect your home.
Disconnect Hoses and Protect Hose Bibs
Hose bibs are the outdoor faucets attached to your house. Remove garden hoses before freezing temperatures arrive so trapped water can drain.
If your outdoor faucet has an indoor shutoff valve, close it and drain the outdoor line. Disconnect hoses from frost-free faucets, too. An insulated faucet cover adds protection, but it cannot replace proper draining.
Insulate Pipes in Cold Areas
Check water pipes in unheated basements, crawl spaces, and garages. Pipes near exterior walls are also vulnerable to freezing.
Fit exposed pipes with pipe insulation and seal drafts near them. Insulation slows heat loss; it does not make pipes freeze-proof.
Keep Warm Air Around Your Plumbing
Keep your thermostat consistent during cold weather. If you leave town, keep the heat on and set it no lower than 55°F.
During severe cold, open cabinet doors beneath sinks along exterior walls. Move cleaning products out of children’s reach. For exposed pipes at risk of freezing, letting the faucet run at a small trickle can help.
Watch for Signs of Frozen Pipes
Little or no water from a faucet during a cold snap may mean a frozen pipe. Call a plumber if you cannot locate or safely reach the frozen section. Never use a torch or open flame to thaw plumbing.
Know where your main water shutoff valve is. If a pipe bursts, shut off the water immediately and arrange repairs.
Address Plumbing Problems Before Winter
A dripping hose bib or an unprotected pipe is easier to address before temperatures drop. Check these areas early rather than waiting for the first hard freeze.
For plumbing repair and installation in Harrisburg, PA, contact W.C. Eshenaur and Son. Get help with existing problems and prepare vulnerable plumbing for winter.

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Dec 07, 2023 in Tips & Tricks

Prepare Your PA Home for the Holiday Season

Winter is here to stay in Pennsylvania, and you’re probably focusing on holiday festivities and spending time with friends and family. But if getting your home ready before you go out of town or host a celebration wasn’t on your to-do list, W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. is here to remind you why it should be! Whether you’re traveling or staying home during the holidays, read on to learn how you can prepare your home for the holiday season. Related Post: Perks of Automatic Fuel Delivery in Central Pennsylvania Your Holiday Home To-Do List Make Sure You Have Enough Fuel A no-heat scenario due to lack of fuel will not only leave your family cold, but it is also a serious safety hazard. Running out of heating oil or propane can cause costly damage to your heating system, and the last thing anyone wants right before the holidays is an unexpected bill. Avoid this by placing a heating oil delivery when your tank is no less than ¼ full or a or propane delivery when your tank is no less than 30% full. Remember that having guests staying over leads to higher fuel usage from things like hot water for showers and gas for cooking. Simplify your holiday and sign up for automatic delivery—we'll handle your fueling for you! Keep Your Driveway Clear To bring you the fuel you need to keep your home warm and cozy, our delivery drivers need access to your driveway. Please keep your driveway clear of snow and ice and remember to shovel a path to your fill pipe so they can bring your propane or heating oil delivery! Have a Generator? Make Sure the Tank Is Full If you rely on a generator to keep your power on during our unpredictable Pennsylvania winters, it’s a good idea to top off its storage tank before the holidays. That way if we experience a holiday storm, you can rest easy knowing you’ll have power. Adjust Your Thermostat Leaving town for the holidays? Make sure your thermostat is set low to conserve energy, but not completely shut off. This will help prevent frozen pipes and costly damage to your home. Keep Your No-Heat Checklist Handy If you experience heat loss this winter, don’t panic. See if you can correct the issue quickly and safely with this checklist: Fuel Tank: Check the gauge to see if you need a heating oil refill, and if you do, give us a call. Thermostat: Make sure your setting is on HEAT, and the cooling function is not on instead. Switches: Check that all furnace and emergency switches are on. Reset Button: Press the RESET button on your furnace—ONCE ONLY. If you’ve performed all the above steps and still don’t have heat, call your local HVAC experts at W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. right away for assistance. Related Post: Signs You Need a New Heating System in Central PA Call W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. for All Your Home Comfort Needs Not sure whether your home is ready to tackle the cold Pennsylvania holiday season? Get in touch with the pros at W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. today for all your heating oil and propane delivery, heating installations and service, and plumbing needs. We’re always here to help, and we can’t wait to work with you to get your home in tip-top shape for the winter months ahead. Request service or become a customer now!

Jan 03, 2023 in Tips & Tricks

How an Emergency Generator Can Help You in an Emergency in Central PA

Are you thinking about having an emergency generator installed in your Central Pennsylvania home? You’ve come to the right place! W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. has high-quality emergency generators that run on natural gas or propane. We also provide expert installation and professional service that will make your generator last for years to come. Not convinced? Here are just some of the reasons why having a generator in Central Pennsylvania is an excellent idea: Set It and Forget It The convenience of emergency generators is unmatched. With an emergency generator installed by W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc., you’ll get all these benefits without having to think about setting up your generator each time it’s needed. Just make sure it has enough natural gas or propane fuel and is serviced once a year, and you’ll be able to enjoy: Automatic backup power during outages. Connection to your existing natural gas or propane fuel supply. Low-cost maintenance that includes periodic test runs and annual engine oil changes. Get Peace of Mind All Year If you have emergency power delivered directly to your home, you can forget about monitoring the weather and stressing about power outages. Not only that, but you get to choose which appliances, lights, and outlets will be powered by your emergency generator. We recommend the following ones for total comfort: Heating or cooling equipment to keep your home temperate no matter the weather. Power to lights and communication methods so your home can function normally. Plumbing and refrigerator power so you don’t need to worry about not having hot water or groceries going bad. Related Post: Be Prepared for Anything the Seasons Bring with an Emergency Generator Protect Your Home and Family Your family is the most important thing in the world to you, and your home should be the place they feel the most comfortable. Protect both the investment in your home and your loved ones with an emergency generator, which will provide the security that power gives us: Your home is protected from power fluctuations and surges that can cause damage to electronics or even fires. Your family stays warm or cool, comfortable, and secure all year long. Reduced risk of discomfort, especially for the young and the elderly. Related Post: Why You Need to Get a Heating System Tune-Up Every Year Don’t Hesitate: Invest in Your Home Today An emergency generator is one of the easiest and best ways to increase your home’s comfort. Now is the perfect time to have one installed, because you’ll be able to weather any snowstorms with ease. Contact W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. today for a free quote on an emergency generator or to book your installation. We guarantee you’ll be glad you did!

Jan 20, 2022 in Tips & Tricks

5 Tips for Winterizing Your PA Home, so You Can Stress Less

When the calendar turned to January, we entered the coldest month of the year here in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. With an average temperature hovering around 25° Fahrenheit, it’s important your home is ready for the brutal ice and snow that is likely to come. Winterizing your PA home is an important yearly procedure to add to your to-do list. Read on to learn W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. five tips for prepping your home for a safe winter season. Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your PA Home 1. Put your garden hoses away. Ice expands when it freezes, so if your hose is still outside, you risk the water in the hose freezing and bursting, ruining your hose. To avoid this, detach your hose, and store it away with your other outdoor living equipment. 2. Turn off your water and lower your heat if you head out of town. If you plan to escape the cold and head out of town for any length of time, make sure to take the proper precautions. Turn off your home’s water access, and drain the pipes of any excess water by letting your sinks run for a few minutes. While you should leave your furnace running while you are away, you can turn your thermostat down to 55 degrees. Also, sign up for automatic heating oil or propane delivery, so your home is ready for cold weather even while you’re away. 3. Don’t let warm air escape your home. You spend good money heating the air in your home; don’t let it escape. Run your hands along windows and doors. If you can feel cold air seeping in, warm air can get out. Apply some caulk or weather stripping to that area, and keep the heated air in your home. 4. Take care of your gutters. It’s easy to forget about cleaning your home’s gutters during the winter, but keeping them clean is crucial to the health of your home. If your gutters clog during the winter, the water trapped in the clog can freeze, expand, and damage your gutter system or home. 5. Plan to avoid icy walkways. Leaving a warm and cozy home to tend to snowy sidewalks is not a favorite winter activity, but keeping your walkways clear of snow and ice can help prevent serious injury or trouble. Keep ice melt on hand, and, after a snowfall, don’t forget to shovel your walkways and a path to your fuel storage tank or fill pipe. Related Post: 4 Steps to Prepare Your Pennsylvania Home for Winter You Can Count on W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. for Your Winter Energy Needs The experts at W.C. Eshenaur & Son, Inc. are more than happy to assist with any of these tips for getting your Harrisburg, PA home ready to take on the coldest part of the year. Your safety is our priority, so contact us anytime. Also, if you are ready to further your winter weather preparation, visit our website to learn about our comprehensive generation installation process, and schedule a free quote.