Tips for Winterizing Your Plumbing to Prevent Damage

Winterizing a house and preventing pipes from freezing starts with insulating exposed pipes, especially those in unheated parts of the house like basements and attics. Use foam pipe insulation, heat tape, or other extra materials for protective layering. Remember to drain and disconnect any outdoor hoses before shutting off their water supply; leave the hose bibs open to drain residual water. Seal up the drafts and gaps around your windows and doors with weatherstripping or caulking; this also helps conserve energy. Maintain an even indoor temperature; if you can, open the cabinet doors under your sinks to let warm air circulate. If you're going to be away for an extended period, consider draining the entire plumbing system so it won't freeze in the event of a cold snap.

At 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) or lower, plumbing pipes usually start to freeze. Insulating and protecting your pipes when the temperature drops to this point can help avoid the risk of them freezing and bursting.

To guarantee that your plumbing will endure a frigid winter, begin by insulating your pipes. This is especially crucial for unprotected ones in such areas as basements, attics, and outside. Use pipe sleeves, heat tape, or insulation foam to warm them up. Make sure to seal any cracks in your home's exterior. These improperly sealed areas are the most likely spots for your home to lose heat. When you're done, inspect the work you've done and make sure you've covered all necessary areas. Finally, know the location of your main shut-off valve. In case of a plumbing emergency, you'll want to have access to that at a moment's notice.

Pouring antifreeze down the drain is not a good idea to prevent it from freezing. Antifreeze contains chemicals that can be damaging to the environment, the water supply, and the plumbing system. Here are some safe and effective ways to keep your plumbing from freezing in winter: Insulate exposed pipes. Let faucets drip slowly. Keep your home heated.

Indeed, allowing a trickle of water to run through your faucets can aid in the prevention of pipe freeze-up. The water that is moving has a much lower chance of freezing than the still water that we normally have when our pipes are in good condition. And when we say, 'allow a trickle of water to run,' we mean just that. The water doesn't need to run in any major quantity to secure a win against frozen pipes. The HDP team is especially concerned about the following areas within our homes. These areas house pipes that are particularly prone to freezing: 1. Furnaces & Utility Rooms 2. Attics & Crawl Spaces 3. Exterior Walls

In frigid regions, it is best to allow one faucet to dribble, preferably the one that is farthest from the main water line. This reduces the chance of frozen pipes. Water that is flowing—albeit at a slow rate—cannot freeze in the coldest of conditions. If your home has multiple stories or plumbing zones, you may want to drizzle a faucet on every level and in every plumbing zone. You want to be safe, right?

When the temperature goes up, there is a chance that frozen pipes will thaw—that is, if they have a chance to thaw at all. Allowing them to thaw on their own introduces the risk of damaging the pipes or causing them to burst. You're better off thawing them with intention and a method that is safe and effective. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then the next best thing is to get a licensed plumber to do it.

Start dripping your faucet when the outside temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit or about -6 degrees Celsius. This practice helps keep the water in your pipes flowing and maintains the pressure in your plumbing system. Both are important if you want to keep your pipes from freezing and subsequently bursting.

When compared to types of plumbing materials, PEX pipe is more resistant to freezing because of its flexibility. The expansion and contraction of PEX allows it to remain unfrozen during many extreme weather conditions. Yet there are still some conditions under which PEX can freeze, and it has frozen before, when water inside it got cold enough during a long enough stretch of really cold weather. To keep that from happening, you should do several things: Insulate all PEX pipes that are in unheated areas, like attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Keep the temperature in your home at a sufficient level so that the air in the unheated areas of your home is warm enough to prevent the pipes from freezing. Letting a faucet drip so that water is running through the pipes seems counterintuitive, but it's actually a way of ensuring that pressure doesn't build up in a line that is about to freeze.

Using the simplest and probably the most common method, many people believe that a hair dryer can be just as effective as most plumbing tools. However, for thawing pipes, a hair dryer is actually the best tool for the job. Not only is it a method that most people can use (instead of, say, calling a plumber), but it also allows the thawing to happen very quickly in a pretty controlled manner. And doing this allows the water to flow again in a way that's generally pretty safe. Of course, if you have access to a plumbing torch, you could use that too, but don't use an open flame with a hair dryer, and you're good. (Also, if you have any space heaters, those are good as well.)