There are a lot of good things about winter – getting to make hot chocolate, enjoying a snowy day, lighting up a fire in the fireplace, the list goes on. However, there are also a lot of not so good things about winter. Notably, the freezing cold! While many of you out there in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC may really enjoy the cold weather, there is one thing no one enjoys – frozen pipes that burst because the temperature got too low!
Every winter, hundreds of people in our area call our plumbing company with tales of burst pipes that are now leaking and causing major water damage (a 1/8 inch crack can leak up to 250 gallons a day!). And it’s no secret that leaky pipes can spell major problems for your home, including mold, flooding, water damage and more.
Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes
Obviously the best thing to do to avoid the hassle that comes with frozen pipes is to prevent them from happening in the first place! At Magnolia Plumbing, we usually recommend that you have your pipes installed in heated areas and out of unconditioned crawl spaces and attics. This isn’t always possible (especially if your pipes are already installed!) but there are still a few things you can do to keep your pipes warm and toasty all winter long.
Disconnect outdoor hoses and turn off the water supply to the outside of your house (you probably weren’t planning on using the hose this winter, were you?). The risk of freezing gets significantly greater as your pipes get further from the inside of your house.
Keep your pipes insulated with sleeves or foam, especially pipes that are located in your attic, unfinished parts of the basement, the garage and other unheated areas in your home. You should be able to find insulation tools at your local hardware store.
If we get a sustained extra cold snap, open your faucets and let them drip a little warm water. This won’t directly prevent freezing, but it will decrease the pressure in your pipes, meaning that if the water in the pipes does end up freezing, it won’t make the pipe burst.
If you leave to go on vacation, make sure to keep your thermostat setting no lower than 55F. Any lower and you run the risk of your pipes getting too cold.
What to Do if Your Pipes Freeze
If you open a faucet this winter and nothing happens, chances are your pipes did end up freezing. Don’t worry yet though – it’s not too late to save them. The first thing you need to do is find your water main shut off valve and flip it as soon as possible – this will prevent more water from entering your pipes. Next, see if you can tell where the freeze is located. To do this, feel along the pipes that lead to the non-working faucet and try to find the coldest spot. Once you’ve found it, you can use a hair dryer to heat the pipe enough that the ice starts to melt and the water starts to flow again. If you act fast, in many cases you’ll be able to thaw the pipe out before it causes any big problems.
If you’ve never had to deal with frozen pipes, you may not know how badly they can damage your home. Fortunately, if you take the above precautions, you should be able to eliminate much of the risk and make it through the whole season ice free. And if something happens and your pipes do end up freezing, just call Magnolia for DC pipe repair! Our expert plumbers will be able to repair your pipes in a non-invasive manner to minimize damage and get your life back to normal as soon as possible.