Frozen pipe prevention

12/12/2016 (Permalink)

Frozen pipes are a sure way to water damage in your home, but how do you prevent frozen pipes in the winter? Our friends at American Family Insurance share some great tips on keeping your pipes from freezing.

The best way to prevent your home’s pipes from freezing is to keep them from being exposed to the cold. Here’s how:

• Cover exposed pipes in crawl spaces or attics with insulation sleeves.
• Re-route pipes to an inside wall.
• Use caulking to seal cracks in the foundation or walls that let cold air in.
• Disconnect garden hoses and turn off the water supply to spigots.
• Keep cabinet doors open below your sinks to allow warm air in.

Other ways you can winterize your home from frozen pipes remove all the hoses from the outside water supply.  Once you have drained and stored the hose away, open up the outside valve.  This will allow the remaining water to drain and allows the pipe to expand without breaking. You should also consider a pipe sleeve to install over the outside water line to insulate and keep ice from forming.

The American Red Cross gives great ideas on preventative action during cold weather to consider to keep your pipes from freezing as well.

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
• When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.

There are many way to keep your home safe from winter pipe breaks.  Please feel free to reach out to SERVPRO of LaGrange Park/North Riverside at 708-240-4873 if you need any help with your home.