Tips To Prevent Water Pipes from Freezing
During winter months, the water pipes in unheated or drafty areas of your home may be subject to freezing. Cold temperatures along with windy conditions speed up the freezing process. Water pipes can freeze and thaw or worse: freeze, burst and send out uncontrolled water that can do severe damage to your home. Water damage is one of the most common and most expensive insurance claims. Thus, be proactive and keep an out for water pipes in your home that may be exposed to cold temperatures. What may surprise you is the fact that hot water pipes generally freeze sooner than cold water pipes. So, include both when considering the best solution. Here are several things you can do to help prevent freezing pipes:
Insulate your water pipes
Check the crawl spaces and attic of your home for pipes that are exposed. When you find them, wrap them with insulation. Specific products that can be used to insulate water pipes are “pipe sleeves” “heat cable,” UL-listed “heat tape,” or other similar materials. These materials work very well to stop the pipes from freezing and are very easy to use. If your place experiences very harsh winters, you may need to wrap the water pipes with heat tape. Heat tape is regulated by a thermostat and keeps the pipes warm with almost no chance of freezing.
Seal any air leaks in your home
What many people don’t know is that even a small air leak letting in cold air may cause your water pipes to freeze and maybe burst. Inspect your home completely to ensure that you don’t have air leaks. Some of the places to look for are your vents, electrical wiring coming in from outside, or any pipes that may have areas for cold air to get in. Crawlspaces and attics are also common for having air leaks. You can seal the leaks from the outside using an expanding foam sealant. Also, all the garage doors should be kept closed at all times of there are any water pipes installed there.
Run water through the piping system
Running water through the pipes allows a continuous flow at all times pipes and this prevents them from freezing. Even though most people may recommend running hot water, cold water works just fine and you won’t have your pipes freezing and bursting in during winter. Also, having the water system drained completely can be a smart thing to do especially you’ll be away for a while. This ensures that there are no chances of coming home to water damages as a result of water left in the pipes. The kitchen and bathroom doors should be kept open to allow circulation of warm air. Also, make sure that the thermostat in your home isn’t lower than 50F degrees.
What Can You Do If Your Water Pipes Have Frozen
If you find that your water pipes are frozen don’t worry, all is not lost. What you can do in this case is warm the water system and get the water to flow again. Try running warm water through the water pipes or heating them up with a hair dryer, a heating pad or simply wrap a towel soaked in hot water around the pipe. If you are unable to unfreeze the frozen water pipe, then you can call a professional water plumber to take care of this problem for you. Then call a reliable and trustworthy water restoration company in Windsor to solve any water damages that may have occurred. They will use the right equipment and techniques to restore a clean home. Water damage repair does not have to be a traumatic experience. A reputable water restoration company in Windsor has the expertise to get it done smoothly, quickly and to your utmost satisfaction.