Steps To Take To Avoid Frozen Pipes

11/9/2022 (Permalink)

How to Prevent Freezing Pipes

Winter is an exciting time of year, but it is also be a time when you have to worry about frozen pipes. Frozen pipes can cause household plumbing problems that range from inconvenient to costly and even dangerous. As unpleasant as this situation may be, there are some steps you can take to prevent it or at least minimize your risk. Here are some tips for avoiding frozen pipes.

Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.

If you have an oil or water supply line in the garage, it's best to keep your garage door closed. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing up as much as possible. If you have a water supply line in your garage and you're not sure whether or not it's frozen, contact a professional for advice.

Open cabinet doors 

Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. The repeated opening and closing of the cabinet’s doors creates a cold-air pocket that can cause pipes to freeze. If you have children, be sure they understand not to close these doors while they're in the room.

Let water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. 

If you have exposed pipes in your home, let the cold-water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. This will prevent freeze damage and help protect your plumbing system from freezing.

Maintain the same setting on the thermostat

Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. This will help keep your pipes from freezing as quickly. If you're using heat, make sure it's turned on no lower than 55° F.

If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home.

If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F. It's best not to lower the temperature at night—when it may be warmer inside your home than outside—and when you're asleep and not monitoring it closely. This will prevent pipes from freezing.

It's also important not to turn off the heat when you're away (unless there is an emergency). If nothing else, this can help protect those items that are most likely to freeze: pipes leading into the water heater and any exposed water lines, such as those located near windows or doors that don't get much direct sunlight.

Take steps now to avoid expensive emergency repairs later

In addition to the steps above, you can also take some preventive measures to keep your pipes from freezing. For example, insulate your water heater with a blanket or towel, and check the temperature gauge regularly. If it gets too cold in your home, consider turning on extra heating sources. You may also want to install a space heater near any exposed pipes, so they stay warm enough not to freeze.

If you think that your pipes might have already frozen due to an electrical outage or lack of heat in your home, don't wait until it thaws out—call a plumber immediately! Frozen pipes will often burst when thawed out too quickly; this can lead to a flooding situation that could cause significant damage inside or outside of your house.

We hope that we’ve given you some great tips for escaping the frozen pipe trap and avoiding costly damage to your home. As always, we want to help you stay warm and dry during the winter months. So, if you have any questions or concerns about your own pipes and would like a professional opinion on how best to protect them from freezing—give us a call!