Frozen Pipe Prevention

Published On - December 19, 2020

ace2k22 Home Maintenance, Water Damage, Weather

With cold temperatures comes freezing pipes and possibly water damage. The first sign of a frozen pipe is reduced water flow. A frozen pipe will not always crack or burst, so thawing it out slowly is your best bet.

Here are some tips for avoiding costly damage from frozen pipes.

  • Know the location of your water shut-off valve and test it regularly. If a pipe breaks, you won’t want to have to find it then or, worse, wait for someone to arrive at your place to find it for you. In most single-family homes, the shut-off valve is in the basement or the crawl space.
  • Keep your meter pit or curb stop valve accessible.
  • Turn off and drain automatic and manual sprinkler systems before the first freeze. The alternate freezing and thawing of water in the system can create cracks and weak spots, triggering silent underground leaks or mini-geysers.
  • Turn off outdoor faucets and be sure to disconnect hoses from them. Make sure the faucet and the outside portion of the pipes are fully drained. Disconnect the hose to ensure that freeze-proof faucets will drain and to avoid damage to the hose from freezing water.
  • Winterize unheated or vacant buildings. Significant property damage and water loss can occur before burst pipes are discovered in vacant buildings. If your vacant building has a fire protection system, make sure there is no danger that the water servicing this system might freeze.
  • Insulate water pipes that may be vulnerable to the cold or have caused problems before.

During a Deep Freeze 

  • Keep open cabinet doors leading to exposed pipes so that household air can warm them.
  • If you have an attached garage, keep garage doors shut. Occasionally, plumbing is routed through this unheated space, leaving it vulnerable to winter’s worst.
  • Crack a faucet farthest from the place where your water enters the house. A very slow drip will keep water molecules moving, reducing the chance that pipes will freeze.
  • Keep your thermostat set above 65 degrees when leaving your house for several days.

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