Preventing Frozen and Burst Pipes: Expert-Recommended Precautions for Dripping Faucets at the Right Time
In the chilly winter months, it's crucial to safeguard your indoor plumbing from the potential threat of freezing pipes. Here, we share valuable advice from seasoned professionals in the plumbing industry, helping you keep your home's water flowing smoothly.
Jake Romano, a seasoned entrepreneur in Ottawa's plumbing sector, heads one of the city's premier plumbing companies. He emphasizes the importance of not just stopping the flow of water, but also ensuring there's no standing water left in the pipes that could freeze.
So, what can you do to winterize your indoor plumbing?
- Insulate Exposed Pipes: Insulate pipes in unheated or poorly insulated areas like basements, crawl spaces, attics, and along exterior walls. Use foam sleeves, fiberglass insulation, or thermostatically controlled heat tape. Proper insulation is the most effective way to prevent pipe freezing.
- Maintain Consistent Indoor Temperature: Avoid letting your home's temperature drop too low, particularly in areas where pipes are located. Keeping rooms at a steady warm temperature limits thermal swings that cause freezing.
- Open Cabinet Doors: Open cabinet doors under sinks or near plumbing on exterior walls to allow warm air circulation around pipes.
- Drip Faucets: Drip faucets connected to pipes that are at risk when temperatures fall below 20°F (-6.6°C). Even a small drip helps prevent pressure build-up if freezing begins and reduces the chance of bursting pipes.
- Seal Drafts: Seal drafts and any cracks or openings near pipes to keep cold air away from plumbing.
- Disable Water Main and Drain Water from Pipes: If the home will be vacant for an extended time, disable the water main and drain water from pipes to prevent freezing and burst damage entirely. Drain fixtures (bathrooms, kitchen, garage) and apply antifreeze to traps if applicable for added protection.
- Use Heat Tape on Vulnerable Pipes: Wrap heat tape along vulnerable pipes and cover with foil-backed insulation to maintain warmth. Heat tape should be installed carefully to avoid shorts or burns and covered well with insulation for effectiveness.
Remember, many people often forget to drip both the hot and cold water through the faucet, leaving pipes unprotected at the end of the process.
For outdoor faucets, covering them with insulated foam covers can help trap some of your home's internal warmth. To avoid freezing outdoor hose bibbs or outside faucets, they should be completely shut off and drained, rather than dripped.
Pipe insulation is made of soft yet durable rubber, making it easy to bend and both age and weather-resistant. Built-to-last insulation tape is durable, providing freeze-proof, waterproof insulation for your pipes for 25 years. Rapid heating pipe heating cable effectively protects pipes in even the harshest of temperatures.
Pipes can freeze and burst in one night if exposed to freezing temperatures. It's worth taking the time to insulate pipes ahead of freezing weather where possible, using heated pipe cables or foam insulation.
In the event of a plumbing emergency, it's imperative to act quickly. Your pipes being frozen is a reason why your toilet won't flush. Experts like Joshua Rudin, the Owner of ASAP Restoration, LLC and a Certified Restorer, and Enoch, who runs service calls for Legacy Plumbing, one of DFW's most highly awarded and highly rated plumbing companies, are ready to help.
Allison Harrison, co-owner of Goodbee Plumbing, a plumbing company serving the greater New Orleans area, advises that the ideal temperature to run your heating to avoid frozen pipes in winter is around 55 ̊F.
By following these tips, you can protect your indoor plumbing from freezing by reducing exposure to cold and maintaining warmth around pipes. Proper insulation combined with temperature control and water drainage (if away) gives the best protection against winter plumbing emergencies.
- In addition to safeguarding your indoor plumbing, it's also beneficial to adopt a health-and-wellness routine that includes fitness-and-exercise, as regular exercise can boost your immune system and improve your overall well-being during the winter months.
- To create a comfortable and inviting living environment, consider incorporating elements of home-and-garden aesthetics into your indoor spaces, such as potted plants, natural materials, and soothing colors, which can help promote relaxation and stress reduction in your home lifestyle.
