How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Winter Cold Spells

Every autumn, cold temperatures can freeze water pipes and cause them to break leading to expensive repairs. Landlords and property managers can help prevent freezing by applying simple precautions.

Disconnect, drain and store garden hoses. Seal air drafts around pipes and in unheated areas like attics and crawl spaces. Leave faucets dripping at a trickle and open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air to circulate.

Insulate

The wintry conditions of winter are the perfect environment for water pipes to freeze, burst and flood a home. This kind of damage is expensive to repair and can cause a lot of stress. A simple step to prevent frozen pipes is adding pipe insulation. This is especially important for pipes located in unheated spaces, such as basements and crawl space. The best way to insulate pipes is to wrap them with insulation material, such as cray flex, resin bonded rockwool or spiral-wrap fiberglass. It is essential to inspect the insulation to make sure it is not worn or deteriorated.

It may also be helpful to use a thermostatically controlled heat cable or heater tape to wrap pipes in attics, garages and crawl spaces that are vulnerable to freezing temperatures. These products work by sending a constant flow of warm, electrically generated heat to the pipes and helping them stay above freezing. They are a good choice for homeowners in areas that experience freezing temperatures or those with older houses.

Another way to help protect against frozen pipes is to keep the thermostat set no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit and to open cabinet doors under sinks, which allows heat from your house to reach uninsulated pipes. It is also a good idea to ask someone to check your home daily while you are gone and set the temperature higher during cold weather.

If a frozen pipe does occur, it is essential to shut off the water supply. Immediately. A single, thin crack in a water line can spew hundreds of gallons of water, flooding floors and destroying furnishings.

The best way to thaw a frozen pipe is by applying heat. The use of a hair dryer is recommended, but only with caution, as the hair dryer should never be used near standing or puddled water. It is also a good idea to identify the location of your home’s main water shut off valve and instruct family members on how to operate it in an emergency. These preventive measures are not only cost effective but can be lifesaving.

Seal Leaks

Pipes that run through unheated areas like basements, crawl spaces and garages are at especially high risk for freezing. Insulating these pipes can help keep them warm. You can purchase foam pipe insulation sleeves, and heat tape or heat cables (used with caution) are also effective at keeping them warm. These products can be purchased at most hardware stores, and they are relatively inexpensive to use.

Water lines that lead to outdoor faucets are also susceptible to freezing in winter cold spells. It is important to disconnect these and, if possible, close the indoor shut off valves to them. If you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your home, it may be deactivated when the water is shut off, so make sure that the service valve for this is in working order and can be easily located.

It is also a good idea to open cabinet doors during extremely cold weather to allow heat from the rest of the house to reach uninsulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls. This is especially helpful if you store cleaning supplies or chemicals in these cabinets, and it should be done if there are young children or pets living in the house.

Other common causes of frozen pipes include quick drops in temperature and thermostats set too low. Try to keep your thermostat at the same temperature day and night to prevent extreme fluctuations that may cause pipes to freeze.

If you live in a climate where frost is uncommon, consider covering outdoor plumbing fixtures with plastic or foam covers. You can also purchase insulated caps to cover all outdoor spigots. If your meter is outdoors, make sure it has a protective cap and report any broken or missing lids to your water utility company. Once the cold weather passes and it is safe to do so, drain any water from your outdoor hoses and, if possible, close the indoor faucets connected to them. Be sure to use a drain valve on the outdoor spigot. This will ensure that any ice plugs that formed in the spigot will be melted when the spigot is thawed.

Turn Up the Heat

Frozen pipes usually occur in unheated spaces like crawl spaces, basements and attics. But they can also freeze inside cabinets or in garages where outdoor hoses, water supply lines and electrical wiring connect to house spigots. Frozen pipes are a problem in all climates, and even insulated houses can experience frozen pipes if sudden temperature changes occur or if thermostats are set too low.

One of the most effective ways to protect against frozen pipes is to insulate pipes in crawl spaces and attics, which are the most susceptible to freezing. You can buy insulation from your local hardware store or home improvement center, and it’s relatively easy to install. Another preventative measure is to keep the thermostat at a moderate setting during the day and no lower than 55 degrees at night. This is particularly important for elderly customers or anyone with small children living in the home.

If you suspect that a pipe has frozen, try running a faucet, even at a trickle, to keep it warm and melting any ice plugs. You can also heat up the area around the frozen section with an electric heating pad or hot water. A hair dryer can also be used, but make sure the heat source is not too close to standing water or flammable materials. Never use a blowtorch, propane or kerosene heater, charcoal stove, or any other open flame to thaw a frozen pipe because the high temperatures may damage the pipes and create a fire hazard.

Once a frozen pipe has been thawed, it is important to shut off the water at the main house water valve. Also make sure that everyone in your family knows where the valve is located and how to turn it off in an emergency. Also, it is a good idea to drain and disconnect any outdoor hoses and shut off and drain indoor valves for outdoor gardening spigots.

If you have a very old home or uninsulated plumbing, consider having your plumber replace the water meter with a new insulated model. It will cost less to run and may help to reduce the risk of freezing.

Turn Off the Water

If you suspect a pipe is frozen, turn off your water at the main shut-off valve in your home. This is a good time to make sure everyone in your household knows where the water valves are located and how to turn them off. If you have a garden spigot, remove the hose and shut off the outdoor water valve, either by turning it off clockwise (if it has a lever) or turning it off until it won’t turn any further (if it has a gate valve). There are also cheap foam/plastic caps available to cover outside gardening spigots.

Open all cabinet doors that lead to plumbing, including those under sinks in unheated areas or near exterior walls. This allows household air to flow over the pipes and warm them up. If you don’t have pipe foam or towels, consider using heat tape on any exposed pipes.

Keep the thermostat set at a reasonable temperature day and night to help prevent freezing. Avoid setting it at a lower temperature at night as this will increase the strain on your furnace and may cause your water heater to overwork itself and possibly freeze.

If the temperature drops below freezing, it’s a good idea to run a small trickle of cold water at the kitchen and bathroom faucets. This will help prevent the pipe from freezing and also reduce the likelihood of a burst pipe.

You can also drain in-ground irrigation systems, if possible. This will help prevent a frozen spigot from spewing hundreds of gallons of water into your yard and house.

If you’re going to be away from your home for a few days, shut off and drain the water at your outdoor irrigation spigots and indoor faucets. It’s also a good idea to ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily and to open and close any interior and exterior faucets so that water continues to circulate.