4 Tips To Help Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing
The best way to prevent frozen pipes when cold weather rolls around is to get your pipes winterized well in advance. Unfortunately, it's easy to overlook this simple task until it's too late. If you would like to learn some last minute strategies for keeping pipes from freezing--and then bursting--read on. This article will present four tips to help keep the water moving when weather gets cold.
Let it drip.
To most people, a dripping faucet is nothing but a source of irritation. Yet when temperatures outside dip below the freezing point, a slight drip can do wonders to keep your pipes from turning to one solid mass of ice. Turn on your faucets to the barest possible drip; by keeping the water moving even this small amount, you'll greatly reduce the chances of a frozen pipe.
Open the cabinets.
Water pipes in kitchens, bathrooms and other parts of the house can usually be reached by opening up a cabinet door or two. This makes them convenient to access when the need for repairs arises. Yet it also provides a vital way to prevent frozen pipes. By keeping cabinet doors open when temperatures are freezing, your pipes will be exposed to more warm air. While this might not seem like much, even a slight increase in the temperature of a pipe may be all it takes to keep it from freezing.
Wrap vulnerable pipes in steamy towels.
Anything you can do to raise the temperature of pipes is a good idea--especially where pipes in vulnerable areas of your house are concerned. Pay attention to water pipes that come through the basement, or run adjacent to exterior walls. Such pipes don't get as much benefit from the heat inside your house. Give them a boost by wrapping them in towels soaked in boiling water to keep them thawed. Just don't forget to change the towels once their heat has dissipated.
Attend to frozen pipes with a hairdryer.
No matter how assiduously you attend to the tasks listed above, sometimes there's simply no way to keep a pipe from freezing. Luckily, if you notice a frozen pipe in time, you may be able to fix it before the pipe bursts. You can effectively restore proper functioning by heating the pipe with a hairdryer. Likewise, setting up a space heater in cold-prone parts of the house--for instance, the basement--may also help to raise the temperature enough to break up a freeze. Contact a business, such as Sullivan Septic, for more information.