Essential Handy Tips to Avoid Frozen Pipes This Winter

Winter’s chill brings more than just cozy nights by the fire. It can also bring frozen water pipes, a costly headache for any homeowner or business owner. This post offers handy tips to avoid frozen pipes this winter, safeguarding your home or business from potential water damage and hefty repair bills. From simple precautions to more involved solutions, you’ll find ways to keep the water flowing smoothly, no matter how frigid the weather gets.

Table Of Contents:

• Understanding the Risks of Frozen Pipes
• Handy Tips to Avoid Frozen Pipes
  • Outside Your Home Or Business
  • Inside Your Home Or Business
  • Extra Steps To Take For Businesses
• Advanced Prevention
  • Heat Tape for Pipes
  • Relocating Exposed Pipes
• Thawing Frozen Pipes
  • Steps for Thawing Safely
• Conclusion

Understanding the Risks of Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes aren’t just an inconvenience; they’re a serious threat. When water freezes, it expands, potentially bursting even metal pipes. This pipe burst can lead to flooding, structural damage, and mold growth, turning a cold snap into a financial disaster.

The most vulnerable pipes are those exposed to cold weather, like those in unheated crawl spaces, attics, garages, and exterior walls.   Be prepared and review these handy tips to avoid frozen pipes this winter season to be proactive.

Handy Tips to Avoid Frozen Pipes

Protecting your pipes starts with knowing the risks and taking preventive steps. These handy tips to prevent pipes from freezing can make all the difference:

Outside Your Home Or Business

• Disconnect Hoses: Detach garden hoses from outdoor faucets. Even frost-proof faucets are vulnerable with a hose attached. Turn off the inside shutoff valve for the hose bibs and drain any remaining water. Periods of frigid weather and cold snaps could spell disaster.
• Drain and Insulate Outdoor Faucets: After disconnecting hoses and draining outdoor faucets install insulated covers for hose bibs or improvise with towels and plastic bags. Consider frost-free sillcocks for better protection. This is especially helpful in areas prone to cold weather, keeping your hose bibs and supply lines safe from the frigid temperatures.

Inside Your Home Or Business

• Insulate Pipes: Pipes in unheated areas benefit from insulation. Wrap vulnerable sections with foam pipe insulation, sealing seams with tape. This protects against pipe freezes by acting as a barrier against the cold water temperatures.
• Seal Leaks and Drafts: Caulk around pipe openings, dryer vents, and wiring to block drafts. Fixing leaky windows and doors helps maintain consistent temperatures, preventing cold air from reaching interior pipes and causing pipe freezes. Learn more on sealing leaks.
• Keep a Consistent Temperature: Set the thermostat at a steady temperature day and night—ideally, no lower than 55°F (13°C), per Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee . Avoid lowering it when away or sleeping to prevent pipes freezing. Stable internal pipe temperatures are key to avoiding frozen pipes during frigid weather.
• Open Cabinets: During extreme cold, open under-sink cabinet doors to circulate warmer air around pipes. This helps pipes warm, especially for sinks against exterior walls. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors for greater protection.
• Let Faucets Drip: When temperatures plummet, a slow drip from faucets connected to exposed pipes prevents pressure buildup from freezing. Keep the water drip on both day and night , especially if you are turning water off when leaving the house.

Extra Steps To Take For Businesses

• Monitor building power and have a plan to maintain temperatures in case of power failure.
• Have a trained professional regularly inspect, maintain, and test plumbing and fire sprinkler systems , and consider installing water detection sensors for added protection.
• If you have a central station monitored water flow alarm, confirm it is working for your fire sprinkler system. Check that dry pipe fire protection sprinkler systems have not taken on water.
• Designate and educate staff to safely shut down your building’s water supply when necessary. Be sure designated staff have access to the required valves.
• Check your building’s heat and water periodically if your business is closed or unoccupied, especially during weekends and extended holidays.

Advanced Prevention

For long-term protection, especially in older homes and commercial buildings, a more complete strategy offers added security. These advanced handy tips to avoid frozen pipes can help safeguard your home from costly damage and ensure a warm, worry-free winter. They offer a way to prevent pipes freezing, minimizing the risks and ensuring smooth water flow even when the temperature drops.

Heat Tape for Pipes

Heat tape provides electric heat to exposed pipes. It often has thermostats, activating only when needed to avoid needless power consumption and unnecessary turning water on when it isn’t needed. Wrap it along exposed pipes, following product instructions and considering manufacturer recommendations for specific insulation types.

This added cost provides steady protection, especially in preventing a frozen water main. While it might seem like a large price, thawing pipe or replacing water pipes completely will surely be far more costly. Even the national weather service recommends keeping exposed water supply lines warm.

Relocating Exposed Pipes

Consult a licensed plumber about moving exposed water supply lines. While an initial cost, rerouting can prevent recurring frozen pipe issues over time. Consider benefits versus costs to achieve peace of mind and minimize risks associated with property damage, and see if it would actually be the best preventative option if your cold water has caused issues with a frozen pipe.

This will prevent damage such as ice pipe buildup in water supply lines. Thawing a pipe in extreme weather, or during multiple cold snaps and temperature drops over a season can get costly. Especially when considering a major pipe burst, you will have costs associated with water meter replacement, the cost to replace your frozen pipes, along with potential costs of floor damage and flooding related repairs.

Thawing Frozen Pipes

Sometimes, despite precautions, pipes freeze. If this happens, take swift action. Make sure your supply lines and water main haven’t also experienced freezing, otherwise after you thaw pipe segments other areas might cause additional pipe burst events, creating additional costly repairs.

Steps for Thawing Safely

1. Shut off the main water supply. This prevents more water from flowing into frozen pipes. The valve is typically near your home’s street-facing side.
2. Open the faucet served by the frozen pipe to relieve pressure and monitor thawing.
3. Apply gradual, indirect heat along the frozen pipe. Use electric heating pads or a hairdryer . A portable space heater can warm a small area, but never leave it unsupervised. Per the American Red Cross , never use an open flame.
4. Watch and listen for signs of burst pipes and water leaks.
5. Contact a licensed plumber if repairs need to be made.

Conclusion

Protecting your home or business from frozen pipes is crucial for winter preparedness. By following these handy tips to avoid frozen pipes, you can prevent costly damage and ensure a warm, worry-free winter.