If you’re the type of home owner who lives in fear of Your Pipes Freeze Water and all the problems they can cause, don’t let that fear get the best of you.
After all, worrying about the outside temperatures and what effect they might have on your pipes is no solution. But here’s what is: protecting your pipes from freezing in the first place.
And here’s how to do just that:
- Since water starts to freeze at about 20 degrees F, the idea is keep all areas where cold and hot water pipes exist at temperatures above freezing.
- If that’s not practical, then insulate unheated spaces in your home – like crawl spaces and your garage – where you have water pipes.
- And, of course, you need to insulate the pipes in those spaces.
- For the sake of your pipes and your home heating costs, beef up insulation around your doors and windows where you can feel a draft.
- Hopefully you’ve already shut off your outdoor faucets for the winter, but would it really hurt to double check?
- Before going to bed at night, open cabinet doors behind which you have water pipes on outside facing walls to allow warm air to circulate inside those spaces, too.
- If you’re going away, make sure you keep your home at least 55 degrees and, if you don’t have a thermostat with WiFi access and control, have a friend or neighbor check to make sure the heat is still on at least a couple of times a day, especially when outdoor temperatures are at or below freezing.
If, however, one or pipes freezes anyway, then it’s time to implement Plan B:
- If a pipe is frozen but not damaged, try thawing it with a hair dryer, and start closest to the faucet it’s connected to.
- You can also try thawing a pipe with a space heater, but don’t let it get too close to the pipes.
- Never use a flame or torch as a pipe thawing device.
- If a pipe has already cracked or burst, shut off your main water valve and turn on the faucet it’s connected to so the water inside it has somewhere else to go, other than a floor or ceiling, when it does eventually thaw.
And, of course, if the situation has gone past the DIY stage, then contact Norhio Plumbing for prompt, experienced, and dependable service. Not only can we thaw, repair, or replace any pipes in question, we frequently can help to minimize water damage or, even better, prevent water damage from even occurring.
