Here comes the winter season again. Christmas is just around the corner. Friends and family will be seeing each other once more and a lot of homes will be full of guests. Winter brings a lot of great moments together. But together with the great time, lurking behind is the dreaded freezing pipes that happen every winter. Yes, you can get back from your winter vacation only to find your house flooded. It can ruin a great celebration on its own. Thankfully, there are a few things one can do to avoid this problem.
Before going to the tips, one has to understand the problem first. So why do freezing pipes pose a problem anyway and how does it start? Well, what happens is that a frozen pipe bursts because the water inside that freezes expands. Because of the expansion, the pipes crack and that’s where it all starts. Although the cracks may not be visible, once the ice melts, the leaking will start.
- The first to be at risk of freezing are the pipes located at the exterior wall and unheated portions of the house. If you have pipes buried, make sure they’re below the freezing line in order to be properly insulated. Keep in mind that the frost line differs by location. Your sprinkler system should also be drained to avoid freezing. Do the draining before the winter season starts.
- Exterior wall pipes are subject to the cold temperature. While partially insulated, they may still freeze up if it is cold enough. These exterior pipes are placed in their current locations because they serve a purpose, now if you had it connected to the kitchen sink, open up the cabinet doors under the sink to allow some warm air to help protect the pipe. If a portable heater is available, try using it on the pipes to keep them warm.
- If you have the time and the resources, try poking small holes through the exterior wall and then spraying expanding, insulating foam through the holes. A problem with this method though is that you are never completely sure if you have completely surrounded the pipe with the foam. Putting too little foam may prove to be inadequate. Calculate the approximate volume of space between the studs, purchase enough foam to fill the void and poke the hole slightly above the point you want to fill up to. Make sure to avoid overfilling the wall as well because expanding foam may cause the drywall to bow or crack.
- If you have no way of heating the pipes, try leaving a trickle of water flowing through the faucet. Use both the hot and cold valves. The reason for this is because flowing water freezes more slowly than still water. Do this wherever you have freezing pipe problems.
Exposed pipes can also be wrapped with an insulating material or an electrical wire heating wrap made to wrap around the pipes and warm them up. Again, leave a trickle of water running to help slow down the freezing and assist the wrap in heating the pipes.