How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

When the temperature drops outside, it can wreak havoc on your home’s water pipes. That’s because the water in your pipes has a greater likelihood of freezing – and when water freezes, it can expand. When the water expands, it can cause the pipe to burst, potentially leading to costly water damage and subsequent mold growth.

The good news is that frozen pipes are somewhat easy to prevent. Here’s a look at how to do it:

• Insulate your pipes, particularly those that are in attics, basements, crawlspaces and located around exterior walls. You can purchase pipe insulators from any hardware store.
• Keep the house warm: Make sure caulking and insulation is up to snuff to keep out drafts, as this will keep your home more comfortable and also help you save on your energy bill. Also, if you’re leaving for warm weather locations for an extended period during the winter, make sure your thermostat stays set to 55 degrees F, at least – that is if you don’t winterize your property. Remember, water freezes at 32 degrees F – so you want to ensure your home is consistently well above this temperature.
• Open cupboard/cabinet doors: During extreme cold spells, open up the doors to your cabinets and cupboards where pipes are located. This allows heat to circulate in these areas to prevent them from freezing.
• Drip faucets: When water is flowing, it’s harder for it to freeze. That’s why if you’re concerned about pipes freezing during cold spells, it’s a good idea to set them so they drip.
• Close off/open exterior spigots: Your internal pipes aren’t the only ones you need to worry about, you also need to worry about external hose spigots. Make sure you shut off the water leading to these external spigots and open them up so that any excess water drains out of them before winter weather arrives.

If you discover a frozen pipe, it needs to be thawed quickly before it can burst and do real harm. Contact us today for more information on preventing and dealing with frozen pipes.