Are you worried about frozen pipes ruining your day? When the weather gets cold, you’re at risk of your pipes freezing. This can have disastrous results.
When your pipes freeze, the water inside of them expands. When frozen water expands, it applies a lot of continuous pressure on whatever is containing it. What does a lot of pressure do to your pipes?
It causes them to crack, or worse, burst.
This often happens to people who are out of their homes for long periods of time who don’t know how to prevent pipes from freezing. This means they come home to a mess.
Let’s talk about how you can avoid this situation.
Insulate Your Pipes
Are your pipes insulated? This is an easy and affordable way to add some extra protection to your pipes so they can stay warm.
There are a few ways to go about it. One of the more common insulation methods is with insulation tape. This comes in both adhesive and non-adhesive varieties. You wrap this tape around your pipes and instantly make them more resilient.
The tape is suitable for pipes that wind in strange shapes.
You can also use specialized pipe insulation. It comes in the form of foam pieces with a slit cut down the middle. You slide them onto the pipes, and they’re protected from the cold.
Leave Water Dripping
While we all want to make efforts to avoid wasting water, allowing your faucet to drip is one of the best ways to prevent frozen pipes.
When you let your water drip, it means that the water is still moving. Moving water doesn’t freeze as quickly as still water.
If you’re worried about your environmental impact, just remember that the small amount of water that you waste by doing this is nothing in comparison to the water that you’ll waste when your pipes crack and leak.
Leave Cabinets Open
This is a simple way to help prevent your pipes from freezing. It’s most effective if you keep your home warm during the winter.
In areas where your pipes are inside cabinets, they stay colder because no light or air is getting to them.
By leaving your cabinets open, you’re allowing the warm air from the rest of your home to circulate around the pipes, keeping them warmer. This is a great solution if you’re leaving your home to go on a trip. Leave your heat on just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing.
That’s How to Prevent Pipes From Freezing
As a homeowner or renter, you need to know how to prevent pipes from freezing before you spend a winter in sub-freezing temperatures. You’ll save yourself a lot of time, money, and hassle.
If you’re concerned that your pipes are going to freeze despite your best efforts, or if your pipes have already cracked, call a professional to come to assess the situation.
Do you need to keep your home warm enough to prevent frozen pipes this winter? Contact us to set up an appointment so we can get a member of our team to find a heating solution for you.
