From snow and ice clearing to furnace issues, winter presents homeowners with its own set of challenges.
Because water expands when it freezes to become ice, water pipes (normally made of stiff metal or plastic) become in danger of bursting. Not only does this cause an inconvenience to your household’s members, but it can also create an expensive mess to clean up.
Avoid experiencing this extra winter inconvenience by ensuring your pipes don’t freeze this season. Follow our tips below to learn how!
Get Ready for Winter Before Freezing Pipes Happen!
The pipes that are most susceptible to freezing and bursting are those exposed to severe cold. These include water sprinkler lines, pipes that run against exterior walls with limited or no insulation, and pipes in unheated interior spaces.
Before winter hits, be sure to drain water from outdoor water supply lines, properly drain and store hoses and close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. To allow water to drain, open the outside hose bibs and keep them open so that any remaining water can properly expand.
How to Protect Pipes from Freezing
Keeping your pipes warm is the first tip to prevent them from freezing. To do so, ensure the heat is set above 55 degrees Fahrenheit – even during the nighttime, or when you’re away.
If you’re going away for an extended period of time and are adamant about turning your heat off, ensure all your water lines are drained properly.
To maintain warm temperatures throughout your home, add extra insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Any holes or cracks near pipes should be repaired with caulking to keep the warm air inside.
Since pipes are regularly found inside cabinets, keeping these doors open can help keep the pipes warm. Pipes themselves can be kept warm by installing specific insulation-type products such as “pipe sleeves” or “heat tape” on exposed water pipes. Newspaper wrapped around exposed pipes can add extra protection to pipes that aren’t regularly exposed to freezing temperatures!
Do you have water supply lines in your garage? If so, keep the garage doors closed.
If you have any exposed pipes, run water at a trickle through the pipe to help prevent freezing. This will allow any pressure created between a blockage and the faucet to prevent from building up and bursting the pipe. To provide extra precaution, consider relocating these exposed pipes.
When Frozen Pipes Happen…Wentworth Plumbing Can Provide the Solution!
There are enough problems to deal with during the winter besides adding frozen pipes to the mix! But if this problem does happen to you, know that Wentworth Plumbing is here to help.
For over a decade, our experienced plumbers have been providing plumbing services and emergency repairs to commercial and residential customers in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga area. We are known for providing quality service at each and every job we complete.
Besides dealing with frozen pipes this winter, contact Wentworth Plumbing for any plumbing repair issue or emergency!