If you live in a location where the temperature goes below freezing, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or have finally paid off your mortgage, now is the time to think about frozen pipes or risk getting trapped in a nightmare flooding situation. So, unless the idea of a surprise flood cleanup and water damage restoration bill appeals to you, keep reading for six simple ways to keep your pipes from bursting this winter!
- Turn up the heat. We understand that you’re only trying to save energy for the sake of the environment and your power bills, but if you’re in a deep freeze, you’re raising the danger of a flooding disaster from pipes that freeze, expand, and then explode. So the simplest method to avoid a problem is to go to your thermostat and raise the temperature a few degrees. Closing the garage door is another simple technique to enhance the heat in your house.
- Increase the temperature. We realize that you’re merely trying to save energy for the benefit of the environment and your power bills, but if you’re in the middle of a severe freeze, you’re increasing the risk of a flooding calamity due to frozen pipes that expand and then burst. So the simplest way to avoid a problem is to raise the temperature a few degrees on your thermostat. Another simple way to increase the heat in your home is to close the garage door. Take your garden hoses outdoors and disconnect them from the spigots. Even if you think your frost-proof spigot is protecting you, you still need to disconnect the hose from the nozzle to be entirely protected from a bursting pipe.
- Make use of fans and keep cabinets open. After you’ve turned up the heat in your home, double-check that it’s getting to all of the exposed pipes, such as under your kitchen and bathroom sinks, and even in your pantry. So, to help get warmer air from registers to the colder rooms in your house, open the doors to the concealed pipes and use fans to help get warmer air from registers to the colder rooms in your house and the pipes themselves, open the doors to the concealed pipes and use fans to help get warmer air from registers to the colder rooms in your house and the pipes themselves.
- Use hot towels or hair dryers to warm your pipes. Use a milder technique of warming to prevent the ice in your pipes from over-expanding and blasting into your house. Don’t use a blowtorch since you risk damaging the pipe and worsening the problem you’re trying to avoid. The pipes that are most likely to break are most likely in the basement, but if your basement isn’t finished, you should have easy access to the pipes that are most likely to break. Keep the water from the faucets above flowing while manually heating the pipes below. You’ll know you’ve accomplished your aim when the flow from the faucets begins to rise.
- Use hot towels or hair dryers to warm your pipes. Use a milder technique of warming to prevent the ice in your pipes from over-expanding and blasting into your house. Don’t use a blowtorch since you risk damaging the pipe and worsening the problem you’re trying to avoid. The pipes that are most likely to break are most likely in the basement, but if your basement isn’t finished, you should have easy access to the pipes that are most likely to break. Keep the water from the faucets above flowing while manually heating the pipes below. You’ll know you’ve accomplished your aim when the flow from the faucets begins to rise.
Have your pipes already sprung a leak? If your home is flooded in any way, don’t hesitate to contact your local service provider as soon as possible.