The Long Island region experiences some frigid nights during the coldest parts of winter. Few potential problems scare homeowners as much as the risk that the cold will damage some of the pipes in their house, leading to flooding or worse. Fortunately, mitigating the risk of frozen pipes and avoiding the need to shut off your water and call for pipe repair service involves several relatively easy solutions.
Insulate the Pipes
Just as you might fight the cold weather by covering yourself with a blanket, you can wrap your home’s pipes to protect them from a freeze. In particular, you may want to insulate pipes that are close to exterior walls. If there are spots along the walls or the foundation that feel cold to the touch on a normal winter day, those could be trouble areas on the worst night. Another option is heat tape. Our plumbers can help you identify the right product for your home’s pipes.
Disconnect Outside Lines
Many households have at least one line that runs to an outside spigot for a hose. While an outside line is convenient during the summer, it is a potential source of frozen pipes during the winter. The cold can run the whole way from the outside through to the interior.
Your house should have shutoff valves for any outside lines. Turn off the valves to the corresponding lines in the fall once you’ve stopped using them. When the shutoff valve is closed, open the spigot to drain the water from the line. Turn off the spigot once the water has stopped dripping. If you’re unsure when to do this, a good rule of thumb is to see that it’s done before the nighttime temperatures consistently dip below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Freeze-Proof the Valves
Modern technologies allow you to install freeze-proof valves along your home’s water pipes. If a line freezes, the valve opens to ensure that pressure from frozen water has somewhere to go as it thaws. This reduces the risk that a frozen line might burst.
Use Sensors and Smart Valves
Smart technologies are quickly becoming popular in the plumbing business. Sensors and smart valves add protection against a host of issues. They monitor the water pressure and flow. If anything seems to be amiss, they can respond appropriately to the situation. More importantly, a smart system can notify you that it has detected a problem.
Circulate Warm Air
If you’re watching the forecast and anticipating a freeze in the coming hours or days, your best short-term option may be to simply provide additional warm air to the pipes. The safest choice is to open up areas where cold pipes may be so that air can circulate into them from warmer areas. For example, you can open the cabinet under your kitchen sink to ensure that the pipes stay warm.
Another option is to place a portable electric heater in the vicinity of the pipes. One with a built-in fan can circulate heat towards the pipes. However, be careful about parking the heater too close to where water might flood. You don’t want to add an electrical hazard to water damage if the pipes burst.
Protect Pipes With a High Enough Thermostat Setting
Many cases of frozen pipes bursting occur when people are on vacation or a house is otherwise unoccupied. For example, many landlords understandably don’t want to pay to heat an unrented unit. Try to keep the temperature around 68 degrees to ensure that the house’s pipes don’t have a chance to get cold. Check what the temperature is in the basement. Many furnaces have vents that allow you to blow warm air into the basement to keep the pipes warm.
Leave Faucets on a Slow Drip
Keeping the water circulating in a pipe tends to discourage freezing. However, water can’t circulate if the faucet at the end isn’t on. Letting a faucet drip slightly will encourage a bit of flow. Try to leave the faucet on the slowest drip possible without turning it off entirely.
At Fix-A-Leak Plumbing and Heating Inc., we serve the residents of Long Island. We offer plumbing advice based on 20 years of experience. Our plumbing services include installations, repairs, maintenance and upgrades. We also help customers detect leaks in lines.
To be as prepared as possible for the risk of frozen pipes this winter, contact Fix-A-Leak Plumbing and Heating Inc., and ask for our expert assistance. We’ll send a professional plumber as soon as we can!
