Winter is on the way, and we want you to be prepared! There is no way around the freezing cold and snow, and the last thing you want along with that is a flood from a frozen pipe. Please, be proactive this fall and make it a point to prepare your home for the winter. Don’t find yourself sorry with costly damage and a mess to clean up!
Risky Pipes
Some pipes are more at risk of freezing than others. Reasons for this can have a lot to do with their location in your home. Exposed pipes in unheated areas of the home, pipes in exterior walls, and any plumbing on the exterior of the home are more prone to freezing.
If exposed pipes are located in the basement, they are at much lower risk of freezing because they are in a heated portion of the home. Exposed pipes in an unheated area such as the garage, attic, or crawl space are at risk of freezing. Protect exposed pipes with foam pipe insulation, and inexpensive option for moderate cold. If the cold is more severe you may need to turn to thermostatically controlled heat tape.
Inadequate Insulation
It is very important to take note of pipes traveling in exterior walls that have frozen in the past. Signs that this may have happened are water damage, mold, and moisture build-up. These frozen pipes may have been due to a lack of inadequate insulation. Considering opening up the wall and making the insulation thicker.
What to do Outside
Did you know that a frozen garden house could cause an interior pipe to burst? When water in the hose freezes and expands it increases pressure throughout the whole plumbing system. Don’t let this happen to you! Be sure to disconnect, drain, and stored away your hose before the first freeze. It is also important to install a faucet insulator if you don’t have frost proof spigots.
Ready or not, here winter comes! Be prepared for winter and save yourself the trouble of expensive repairs to your home.