Tips for Pipe Protection

3/15/2019 (Permalink)

Keep the heater on if outside temperatures will dip below freezing

Keeping Your Home Safe from Bursting Pipes

Frozen pipes are often the culprit when homes flood in the winter. Fortunately, prevention of this problem is pretty easy. To keep your home in Oak Grove, KY, safe from flooding due to busted pipes, try the following methods.

1. Insulate Pipes

The most long-term solution for avoiding pipe freeze and thus the need for water restoration services is adding insulation. You can either add it to the pipes themselves by sliding a fiberglass sleeve over them or you can add extra insulation to the walls. The latter option may even save you money on heating bills!

2. Heat Air

Always keep the heater in your home on if there is a chance that outside temperatures will dip below freezing. Then, you can warm up the air around the pipes by venting the heat from your home into the walls. For pipes that are under your sink, you can keep the cabinet doors open so that the area under the sink heats along with the rest of the house.

3. Open Faucets

Allowing a slow drip from select faucets throughout your home is an easy way to prevent frozen pipes. Moving water is less likely to freeze than standing water, so the constant flow through the pipes works in your favor.

4. Seal Cracks

Another way to increase your home's energy efficiency while also protecting your plumbing is to maintain proper seals in walls, floors, ceilings and windows. Gaps allow wind to get in from outside. By caulking those gaps, you can keep warm air in and cold air out.

5. Apply Heat

Sometimes, the direct approach is helpful. You can use heating tape directly on pipes to heat them up. Whether you choose tape that switches on when it sense the need to do so or tape you can turn on and off manually, pipes that are most vulnerable to freezing are protected.

You can avoid frozen pipes and the mess they can make with these simple methods. Following these five tips can keep your plumbing warm all winter.