Homes in temperate climates are at risk of frozen, cracked or burst pipes during winter. To prevent this from happening there's one thing you must do before autumn ends and deep frost begins: Winterize Your Pipes! It may seem like an easy task but if it isn't done properly then your home could be seriously damaged by frozen pipes that will cost more than just fixing what was broken.
Wrap Exposed Pipes
Wrapping your plumbing with towels is a great way to warm up frozen pipes. You can use either pre-soaked or boil the water before wrapping them so they will absorb more quickly. Just make sure you wear protective gloves when doing this because there's potential for extreme temperature change!
Turn On Your Faucet
Turning on your water can help to prevent pipes from freezing and wasting precious energy. For best results, turn it on indoors first before turning on the taps outside as temperature takes its toll- and this will keep the flow going through any system effortlessly.
Aim for around 5 drops per minute when doing so; don't waste money by running the tap on full or you'll end up spending more than necessary just because there was one small oversight in preparation!
Open Cabinet Doors Containing Pipes
This is a great way to keep your pipes from freezing when it's cold outside. You can open up cabinet doors that are camouflaging the inside of them and let warm air flow through by using an interior heater.
As we all know, feeling unsafe in our homes could lead us towards dangerous outcomes and ultimately cause even greater problems later on down the line (like costing yourself money). By doing these small things now before anything else happens.
When Pipes are Frozen – Shut Off Water
Your water pipes can be subject to freezing if you don't take precautions. The best way is shutting off the main valve immediately and closing any external sources, like those connected with a garden house or lawn shed (this includes plumbing). This will help prevent more damage than necessary while still allowing time for heaters in your home's basements & utility rooms lower themselves enough so they're not only safe but also practical during these cold months!
When you notice that the main water valve is frozen or almost there, turn it off immediately. You will usually find this in your basement near an electric heater and/or front wall closest to street level (your house's foundation). Turn away any outside sources such as garden supplies hooked up from home improvement stores because they also encourage burst pipes.
Use a Hair Dryer or Heat Gun
Since pipes are made of metal, they can withstand boiling water better than other materials. However, when the temperature drops below freezing point - as it often does in winter- ice may start to form and block your drain lines until the ice melts away with the heat from a hair dryer or Heat Gun! If this happens get yourself some bowls so that you don't burn anything else while trying desperately to break up any frozen patches inside them.
Check out this article for some additional Winterizing Hacks!
HOW TO PREVENT YOUR PIPES FROM FREEZING THIS WINTER
- BEFORE WINTER ARRIVES
Here in Ressler & Mateer’s home service area in southcentral PA, we’re fortunate not to experience weeks or months of sub-zero temperatures even in the dead of winter, but we still have the occasional extreme cold snap. Unfortunately, temperatures don’t have to be quite so low for pipes to freeze.
As long as temperatures remain just a bit below 32°F (water’s freezing point) for more than a few hours, your home’s plumbing system may be in danger. In fact, a study reported on by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety found that uninsulated pipes in unheated locations like attics, basements, crawl spaces, and garages, quickly begin to freeze as soon as the outdoor temperature falls to 20°F.
- WINTERIZE OUTDOOR FAUCETS
One type of plumbing fixture that is always exposed to freezing temperatures each winter is your outdoor spigots. So convenient in the warmer months for connecting garden hoses and filling watering cans, these faucets can freeze if not properly winterized each year. To winterize your faucets, shut off the water supply to the faucet inside the house, then open the spigot outside.
If your outdoor faucet is “frost-free,” these steps are less critical, but you may still want to shut off the water supply just to be safe. You can also purchase inexpensive insulating covers to slip over faucets outside.
Here https://resslermateer.com/how-to-prevent-your-pipes-from-freezing-this-winter/
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