![]() ![]() What should I do if I suspect my pipes have frozen? Here are some things you can do if your pipes freeze or burst. If you have a smart thermostat, make sure to monitor the temperature or have a neighbor or family member check the temperature of your house.ĭespite all your best efforts to prevent frozen pipes, there’s still a chance it could happen. Even if you are away from your home for vacation, keep your heat on to avoid frozen pipes.Just make sure to not leave it unsupervised. If you know there’s a place where your pipes are at risk of freezing, you can add a space heater to warm up the room.Maintain the same temperature inside your house day and night at above 55 degrees F.Leave kitchen and bathroom cabinets open to allow the warmer air from inside the house to circulate around the pipes.Turn on at least one faucet so it releases a slow drip so cold water is constantly flowing through the pipes.Keep an eye on weather reports to know if extreme temperatures are expected-typically around 20 degrees F is when you should take precautions. Consider relocating pipes if they are in a location that is vulnerable to freezing.If upgrading your plumbing, try to install PEX piping, which is more resistant to freezing that most other types, notably copper. ![]() Wrap heat tape or a heat cable around pipes located in areas that may be likely to freeze.Using expanding foam or caulk, seal cracks in walls or floors near pipes that could allow cold air in from the outside.You can add a faucet cover for extra security. And if there are cut-off valves on outdoor faucets, make sure they are closed and drained. Every winter, disconnect and drain garden hoses.Foam pipe insulation sleeves are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Insulate pipes that are located along exterior walls or in unheated areas, typically attics, basements, or crawl spaces.There are several steps you can take to make the pipes in your home more resistant to freezing. So you must do all you can to keep your pipes from freezing. Not only is it important to keep water flowing in your house, but it also will prevent costly damages. What Happens When Pipes Freeze?įrozen pipes will obstruct water from entering your home. Once the ice thaws, this is when the possibility of bursting arises. Since water expands when it’s frozen, the trapped water puts pressure on the pipe and this leads to a crack forming. The main reason is exposure to temperatures lower than 55 degrees for an extended period of time. Why Do Pipes Freeze?īefore covering ways to prevent freezing pipes, it helps to understand why pipes freeze. To minimize surprises from pipes bursting in your home on a very cold day, here are some preventative measures to keep your pipes from freezing. However, it could cost even more when you take into consideration other repairs that may arise from the damage, including the pipes themselves, flooring, walls, and more. The average cost of water damage restoration could run between $1,304 and $5,515. If you’re away at work for the day or happen to be on vacation and return to a house full of water, it’s possible that your pipes may have burst after being exposed to freezing temperatures. A single PEX tube that runs from the manifold to a fixture is called a “home run” connection.There is nothing worse than coming home to a house that is flooded with water-except not knowing why it is flooded in the first place. The benefit of a manifold is that each PEX tube has its own shut-off valve, so you can easily turn the water off to a sink faucet when you need to make repairs without turning the water off to other fixtures. While traditional water supply lines branch off a main water line and can supply water to a number of fixtures, a single PEX tube attaches directly to a hot or cold faucet while the other end connects to a centrally located water distribution manifold, such as these Viega MANABLOC Manifolds (available from SupplyHouse). “Its physical flexibility makes it easy to work with and maneuver compared with more rigid PVC pipe,” O’Brian explains, “and the ability to use several connection methods allows it to work with a variety of tool options.” Its color-coded construction is another plus for keeping plumbing organized. PEX tubing, such as Uponor AquaPEX Tubing (available from SupplyHouse), comes in three colors: red for hot water, blue for cold water, and white for either hot or cold water. Polyethylene cross-linked pipe (PEX) is an affordable plastic tubing that’s popular for water supply lines because it doesn’t leach traces of rust or corrosion into the water as some other types of pipes (for instance, galvanized) have been known to do. It is also simple to install. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |