Weather Proof Your Pipes in Winter
Posted under Agent Blog, on January 12, 2010
With temperatures plummeting in the region, you’ve got a lot to worry about. Winter weather may result in school closings, treacherous roadways, cold-related mechanical problems with your vehicle and more. Don’t forget to also safeguard your home against potential weather-related damage.
• Set your furnace thermostat to a minimum of 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees will not keep the pipes inside walls from freezing.
• Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent freezing.
• Remember, pipes are most susceptible to freezing when located in an outside wall, under a sink on an outside wall or in an unheated crawlspace. Open kitchen base cabinet and let room air circulate or place a small portable heater near or in it to heat the pipes. Insulate the problem pipes with foam insulation wrap, especially those that run through unheated spaces and place a portable heater in your crawlspace to prevent freezing.
• Identify the location of the main water shutoff in your home. Learn how to shut the water off and know where your pipes are located. If your pipes freeze, shut off the water immediately to prevent them from bursting.
• If your garage is attached to the house, keep the garage door closed. The door leading to the house is probably not as well-insulated as an exterior door.
• Remove any garden hoses attached to your home and turn off the water supply to external faucets for the season.
If you discover that pipes are frozen, take quick action to try and thaw them immediately, or call a plumber for assistance. Due to the risk of house fires, never use a flame torch or other source of open flame to try and thaw frozen pipes. Instead, open the faucet supplied by the frozen pipe even if you do not yet know where it is frozen. (Note: water may trickle from a frozen pipe, or not flow at all.) Identify the frozen water supply pipe and find the location of the blockage. Often the frozen area of the pipe will be frosted or have ice on it. If serious enough, the pipe may be bulged or cracked.
One of the best and safest ways to thaw the pipe is to heat the area with a hair dryer. First, open the affected faucet and then direct heat from the dryer toward the pipe, working back from the faucet toward the frozen blockage. If the pipe is close to the wall, place a cookie sheet behind the pipe to help radiate heat onto the back side of the pipe. A portable heater and heat lamps are also good to use, provided the affected pipes are exposed and accessible.
Electrical heat tape is a proactive step you can use to help keep pipes from freezing in the first place. This wrap has electrical elements inside of it that, when plugged in, conduct heat to keep pipes warm.
If the frozen pipe is inside a wall, turning up the heat in your house may be sufficient to gradually thaw it. Follow the pipe back from the faucet to where it runs through cold areas such as an Directing heat at the wall, such as with a heat lamp or infrared lamp, may also help. Unfortunately, you may have to tear out a section of your wall in order to reach the frozen area, and then you can attempt to thaw through the methods described above.
