Frozen Pipe Prevention in Manchester, MA & The North Shore
Frozen pipes stop your flow of water and you can quickly wind up with a leaky or burst pipe. To save yourself the headache, costly water damages, and pipe repairs, you’ll want to do everything you can to prevent frozen pipes from occurring at your home. The first step is to determine which pipes in your home are most vulnerable to freezing and the second step is to do something about it!
Which of my plumbing pipes are the most likely to freeze?
- Any pipe that has frozen in the past is likely to freeze again. It doesn’t matter if you bought a new pipe or switched from one type of pipe to another; it will still need to be protected.
- Pipes located near exterior walls, such as the plumbing pipes under your kitchen sink, may not get the heat they need to keep them from freezing.
- Pipes located in drafty areas like basements, attics, and crawlspaces tend to have too much cold air moving over them and are therefore at a greater risk of freezing.
- Pipes located outside your home are always susceptible.
How can I keep my pipes from freezing?
- Get your exterior plumbing ready for winter. Make sure to disconnect garden hoses, turn off the water valve to your outdoor plumbing pipes, and drain remaining water from the faucets.
- Insulate as much as possible to eliminate drafts. Seal up small cracks near plumbing pipes with caulk.
- Cover plumbing pipes that are exposed to the cold air with insulating tubing or pipe sleeves.
- Keep cabinets under sinks open and let faucets drip slowly during extreme cold.
- Use heat tape to heat plumbing pipes that are highly susceptible to freezing.
Hopefully these tips will help you to prevent frozen pipes at your home this winter. Remember that it can be dangerous to unthaw pipes if you don’t know how to do it properly. Keep yourself and your home safe by giving Waldman Plumbing a call if you need a frozen or burst pipe fixed this winter in Manchester or the Boston area.