As a homeowner, there are several steps you can take to prevent frozen pipes in the cold winter months. This includes insulating your pipes, maintaining a steady temperature in the house, letting your faucets drip at a slow trickle and opening your cabinet doors.
Tips for preventing frozen pipes
When the temperature plummets, pipes can freeze and burst, resulting in serious property damage. Fortunately, this scenario is avoidable. Here’s what you can do as a homeowner to prevent your pipes from freezing.
- Insulate your pipes
Pipe insulation is a small investment compared to the repair costs of a burst water pipe. The most common kinds of pipe insulation are made from fiberglass or foam, but you can also use heat tape or thermostat-controlled heat cables. These products are available in most home improvement stores.
Be sure to insulate pipes located in unheated areas, such as the attic, basement, crawl spaces or garage. Pipes underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks can also freeze in extremely cold weather. - Maintain a steady temperature
Make sure your home is roughly the same temperature during the day and night to prevent overnight freezing. It may raise your heating bill a bit, but it will also save you from the costly repairs and frustration of a ruptured pipe. If you’re heading out of town, set the temperature no lower than 55 degrees. - Keep faucets running
One way to keep your pipes from freezing is to let cold water drip from your faucets during especially bitter weather. The movement of the water—even if it’s just a trickle—will help prevent ice blockages from forming in your pipes. Exposed pipes would be the first to freeze, so remember to turn on the faucets they’re connected to first. - Open cabinet doors
The plumbing in your home’s central spaces is vulnerable to freezing too. In most homes, the pipes in the kitchen or bathroom are hidden behind a cabinet door. It’s a good idea to open these doors if you’re expecting frigid temperatures outside. This will allow the warm air from inside that room to circulate around the pipes and prevent freezing.
Along these same lines, you should open other interior doors as well. This invites the warm air to spread evenly throughout the entire house, not just within one particular room.
What should I do if a pipe bursts?
Usually, your home insurance policy will cover damage that results from a burst pipe, but not always. For example, if you turned off your heat before going on vacation, and then your pipes freeze and burst, you may not be covered.
What should I do if the power goes out?
To prevent your water pipes from freezing during an extended power outage, you should drain the water from your plumbing system. Here’s how:
- Shut off the main valve that brings water into your home.
- Starting at the top of your house, open all faucets and flush all toilets several times.
- If you have outdoor spigots, close the inside shut-off valve that supplies water to it. Then open the spigot to drain the line. Be sure to disconnect the hose too, as outdoor spigots can burst if a hose is connected.
- If you have a hot water tank, drain it after three days of below-freezing temperatures. One way is to attach a hose to the tank drain valve and run it to a sump pump or outdoors.
How do I know if a pipe is already frozen?
An easy way to see if your water pipes are frozen is to turn on the faucet. If only a drip or trickle of water flows out, you likely have an ice blockage. Your next step is to carefully inspect the section of pipe that you think is frozen.
What to do
If there are no cracks or breaks, gently apply heat to the area with a hair dryer or space heater. You can also wrap a heating pad or warm towel around the pipe. Make sure the faucet is still turned on so water can flow through as the ice melts.
What not to do
Don’t use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame devices to thaw a frozen pipe. Open flames pose a serious fire hazard and can easily damage the pipe. If you’re unable to thaw the ice blockage, call a licensed plumber right away.