Prevent frozen pipes in your home

Freezing pipes are a hazard that most homeowners hope never to have to deal with. Pipes that freeze can burst and cost thousands of dollars of damage to your home. How can you prevent frozen pipes? Being proactive is your best defense.

You need to guarantee that the temperature where the pipes are located doesn’t go below the freezing point. Obviously, that is not as easy as it sounds. During the winter there are times when storms can cause disruption of electric service which may mean that the heat in your home fails. When this happens there are steps you must take quickly to keep your pipes from freezing.

If you live in the house where the temperature has gone down below freezing then you need to bleed your pipes. Bleeding your pipes means getting all the water that is in the pipes, out of the pipes. If there is no water in the pipes, the pipes can’t freeze. You have to remember if you have a hot water heating system it isn’t only the pipes to your sinks, tubs showers and toilets you need to worry about. You also need to worry about the pipes that carry your hot water throughout your house. Don’t forget the pipes to your washing machine as well.

The first thing to do is to shut off the water. You then want to open your faucets so that they empty out. The heating system should have its own valves to bleed the pipes; these are usually installed at the same time as your system. Flush the toilet to empty the tank.

One way to help prevent pipes from freezing is to insulate any pipes that are in unheated basements or crawl spaces or run along exterior walls of your home. There are pipe wraps that are electric and these work great except in the event of an electrical outage. These offer little protection in a situation where the electricity won’t be available for a lengthy time.

Plumbing and hardware stores sell Styrofoam pipe insulation that is sold in pieces. This works well with pipes that you can easily access to apply them. They are relatively inexpensive and for many of the pipes in your home will be the perfect solution.

It is very important to keep your pipes from freezing. The damage that can be done to your home and your finances if the pipes freeze is immense. Hundreds of gallons of water can flood out of a very small hole over a period of several hours if left unchecked.

It is always advisable to have an alternative heat source in case of power outage. This can be a wood or coal stove, fireplace, propane heater or a generator so that you can run an electric heater. If there is one thing that you don’t want to  happen in your home, it is to have your pipes freeze.