Plumbing Service: How To Prevent Pipes From Freezing During Winter | Brookhaven, GA
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Winter is approaching fast and frozen pipes will be a pain in the neck for local residents. Bursting of pipes and constant seeking of plumbing service won’t be an unusual thing in the region.
But with these life hacks, you may just get through winter without incurring much costs in seeking plumbing service.
1. Insulate Pipes
Insulating pipes is rather an inexpensive undertaking as compared to fixing pipe bursts caused by freezing. And while undertaking the process you should take key concerns on areas of your house that don’t receive much heat such as the attic and garage.
Fiberglass, foam, and polythene are some of the most used insulation materials. In case of emergency insulation, you may use newspaper or duct tape as a temporary solution.
Always remember you can buy specially designed pipe insulation in convenience stores.
2. Open Your Cabinets Periodically
By opening your cabinets regularly, you help hot conditioned air to circulate around the plumbing. The heat from the air melts ice that would cause blockages in the plumbing and also ease pressure buildup in the pipes.
On freezing winter night, it is always advisable to leave all your cabinets open overnight. But if you have small children or pets, make sure to remove anything toxic from the cabinets that can harm them. Always remember if you think you’re saving on energy bills by confining warm conditioned air only to the living spaces, you will only end up with a steep plumbing service bill for a pipe burst repair.
3. Always Keep Garage Doors Closed
Keeping garage doors closed is a sure way to prevent your pipes from freezing. This room has quite a big deal of pipes running through it. And with a high amount of smooth concrete, the garage floor, and the whole space, in general, is usually cold.
For sure letting more cold air in the room by leaving the door open would be detrimental. Pipe bursts in the garage can cause flooding of the house. More importantly, it will cost you a lot in seeking plumbing service.
4. Let Faucet Drain
Running faucets is a sure remedy for preventing pipes from freezing. It is worth it to incur extra expense on the wasted water than looking for a technician who offers services to fix a pipe burst. When turning on the faucets, always consider the ones that connect to pipes that are most vulnerable.
Make sure to only turn them on when experiencing the nastiest weather to avoid water wastage. Running water creates friction, which in turn generates heat that prevents your pipes from freezing. Just a few faucets running helps to relieve pressure in pipes and prevents ice blocks from forming.
5. Seal Cracks and Any Openings
Does your house have openings or holes? Then you should make sure they are all sealed before winter. Whether it’s the allowance left by the TV cable hole or openings around the seal plates, all of them must go. You must ensure to keep as much conditioned air in the house.
Also, examine door frames and windows for any gaps or cracks. The exterior and the interior wall should also not be left out. It’s cheaper sealing cracks than paying for plumbing service to fix a pipe burst in Brookhaven, GA.
6. Keep Consistent Indoor Temperature
Some People try to save on energy bills by lowering their thermostats in the evening. You may save a buck or two, only to end up with a costly plumbing service bill. This is because uneven temperature causes uneven expansion and contraction of pipes.
Therefore, you should ensure to keep your thermostat set to the same temperature at any time of the day. Make sure the temperatures are sufficient to melt ice blocks in the pipes. Remember, sudden changes in temperature can be detrimental to your house plumbing.
7. Leave the Heat On
During winter, always leave the heat on even if you are not in the house. It may seem counterintuitive, but the process will save you a lot on plumbing service bills. The high temperature in the house provides a perfect remedy that prevents pipes in your house from freezing.
In fact, this is one of the most recommended methods, especially if your house plumbing is not well insulated. Leaving the heat on will save you the headache of finding a flooded house.
8. Keep Interior Doors Open
Most of the pipes in your home are found in the bathroom and kitchen. And while they are concealed in the interior, they are also under the risk of freezing. And by keeping the doors of these rooms closed, you curtail the movement of conditioned air into the rooms.
Uneven distribution of warm air makes some parts of the pipe to freeze while those parts that are exposed to warm air stay in perfect condition. This scenario can cause serious pipe bursts. That’s why during winter you must leave interior doors open if you don’t want to go looking for plumbing service.
9. Seal Crawl Spaces
In places with bitter winters all ventilated crawl spaces must go. This process helps in reducing cold air around the pipes. To achieve the process of covering crawl spaces you may use foam pieces, which are good insulators to seal the vents.
These foam pieces are secured with duct tapes and it is amongst one of the most inexpensive solutions for sealing crawl spaces.
10. Use Heating Tapes
For exposed pipes, using electrical heating tape to insulate them is a great plus. Applying the tape directly helps the pipe to retain heat. This can also come in handy in pipes that are in unheated places such as the attic and the basement.
Before You Leave
Pipe bursts are not an unusual thing for homeowners during winter. But this winter it should not be a major cause of alarm. All you need is to follow the above tips.
But if it happens and you are in Brookhaven, GA, and looking for a company that provides plumbing services, at Peach Plumbing & Drain, we have professional plumbers and we will be more than ready to help.
For more information on our services, contact us.