2015
January
How to Prevent Your Pipes from Freezing in the Winter

How to Prevent Your Pipes from Freezing in the Winter

Jan 22


The last thing anyone needs in the long and monotonous season of winter is the expense and stress of hiring a plumbing company to deal with frozen pipes. Not only is it an incredibly messy plumbing problem, but it can also end up costing you hundreds of dollars. So, how can you prevent your pipes from freezing and breaking in the winter?

Well, let’s take a look a few of these simple and inexpensive tips to find out:

Turn Up the Thermostat

Prevention is better than cure, so rather than worrying about your heating costs and then later suffer from even greater expenses of repairing or perhaps replacing your pipes, consider turning up the thermostat. This way, the air temperature in crawlspaces will increase by projecting heat energy, thus preventing your pipes from freezing.

Inspect and Insulate Pipes

Scurry beneath your house, go down to the basement, crawl into the attic, and head out the garage to look at the condition of your pipes. Wrap all exposed pipes and add extra insulation. You can use two methods to insulate your pipes:

  1. Fiberglass or Foam Jackets – Take a ride to the nearest shopping or home center and purchase a package or two of un-faced fiberglass insulation or polyethylene foam jackets. However, don’t forget to get some protective gear as well, such as work gloves, a dust mask, and a jacket. Once you have the stuff ready, assess the insulation needs in the garage, basement, or the attic by installing fiberglass or foam jackets overexposed or poorly-protected pipes.
  2. Heat Tape – Using thermostatically controlled heat cables or heat tape on your pipes is one of the most effective ways to prevent your pipes from freezing. So, head to the nearest home center and purchase some heat tape. Since, the tape resembles an extension cord, try winding it in a spiral pattern around the pipes. However, make sure to carefully observe the manufacturers operating and installation instructions.

Seal or Caulk Gaps around the Piping

As time passes, homes begin to settle over time. This causes the caulk around the pipes to crumble and break eventually. Therefore, make sure to inspect all your pipes thoroughly and re-caulk them if needed. This way, you can prevent cold air from hitting your pipes, thus causing the water inside them to freeze. Don’t worry about the neatness of your caulking as it doesn’t matter. Just get the job done where it needs to go. This way, you can save time and prevent your pipes from freezing as well.

Allow the Heat to Circulate

As winter arrives, it becomes imperative to create heat circulation within your home. You can easily do this by keeping the closet doors or cabinet doors open. This will allow warm air from your home to circulate around the pipes beneath your sink. However, do make sure to first check if you don’t have any poisonous cleaners or other damage chemicals or items that children might get to. Additionally, keep the faucets dripping. The continuous movement of water can help prevent ice blockages in pipes.

So, now that you are familiar with the abovementioned tips, preventing your pipes from freezing won’t be a problem.

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