Freezing temperatures can definitely cause pipes to crack or burst, which is why homeowners need to take special precautions making sure their pipes never get too cold in the winter. Thanks to his more than 31 years of experience in the plumbing industry, Jolly Plumbing owner Barry Jolly has earned a reputation as a top-notch businessman in the Northern Kentucky area. Here, he explains what easy things you can do to prevent your pipes from bursting.
It’s every homeowner’s worst nightmare — discovering that a set of pipes has burst during the night. In most cases, when a pipe bursts, it is often caused by freezing temperatures. The problem with that is you can do nothing about the temperature or the weather. So you have the same problem with your pipes year after year whenever it gets cold.
Warming the Problem Areas
However, you can help yourself out by identifying any problem areas beforehand. You can try to warm those areas up in a way so that the pipes won’t freeze and burst. For example, if you have water lines underneath your kitchen sink that might freeze, I recommend leaving your cabinet drawers open when it gets cold to allow a little warm air to get into the space underneath your sink and warm the area.
Leaving the Water as a Drip
If it gets especially cold on a particular day or night and you are concerned about bursting pipes, your best option is to leave the water in the sink on as a drip. Make sure to turn both the hot and cold side of the faucet on though, because that’s the only way this solution is going to help.
Putting Insulation on the Pipes
If the pipes that you are worried about bursting are located on the outside wall of your house, different steps or precautions should be taken. The main thing you should avoid is having your outside pipes open to the climate, because then they will freeze in cold weather. Instead, I recommend putting any type of insulation between the pipes and the wall itself. Doing something as simple as adding a little insulation to the wall or around the pipes can be helpful to avoid problems once the temperature drops.
When it comes to putting insulation on the pipes, that is usually something most homeowners can handle on their own as they don’t usually need to call a plumber for that. With most of these types of small projects, I just recommend homeowners visit a home improvement store and check what tools and materials are available. All these stores sell pipe insulation, which peels apart and wraps around the exposed pipes.
Remember, taking an extra precaution before the cold weather hits can go a long way in protecting the pipes that are both inside and outside of your home. If you have a difficult job that cannot be handled, Jolly Plumbing is the company for you.
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