How to Keep Pipes from Freezing When the Temperature Drops

1/29/2022 (Permalink)

Make sure to insulate your pipes.

Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing

When the temperature drops in Portage, PA, you probably remember to protect yourself and your loved ones, but have you remembered to protect your home? Unless you’ve taken necessary precautions, cold temperatures can cause pipes to freeze. This is a problem for two primary reasons:

• Frozen pipes prevent the flow of water.
• Pipes that are frozen can eventually burst, making water line repair necessary.
  
  

It is important to remember that all types of pipes can freeze, including copper, plastic, and steel. The following tips will help you prevent your pipes from freezing.

Turn on the Heat

Everyone knows that leaving the heat on makes for an expensive heating bill, but that heating bill can be a lot cheaper and less of a pain than frozen pipes that burst and cause flooding. While you might want to tough out the cold with a down comforter and mittens, your pipes need to stay warm, so keep the heat set no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Open the Cabinets

Turning on the heat won’t help much if your pipes are hidden away in heavy cabinets. Prevent pipes from freezing by opening cabinet doors where there are pipes to allow heat to circulate around your pipes. It might not look as nice to have everything open, but you’ll be happy when the pipes don’t freeze.

Insulate Pipes in Unheated Areas

If you have pipes in unheated areas of the house, like the garage or crawl spaces, or against uninsulated outside walls, make sure to insulate those pipes. Heat tape can be useful, but make sure to read the directions so you know whether you will need to manually plug and unplug the tape to heat the pipes, or if it will regulate temperature automatically. You can also add extra insulation in the form of foam rubber or fiberglass sleeves.

When freezing temperatures come to Portage, PA, make sure to protect your home from frozen pipes. If your pipes do freeze and burst, a SERVPRO professional can help with the cleanup.