The winter season isn’t over yet and that means there’s still a chance that your pipes will freeze. During the low temperatures, snow, and ice freezing pipes are a common but costly problem for many people. Freezing pipes can cause damage that is expensive to repair and irritating to you and your family. The best thing to do is take precautions and keep your pipes from freezing. Let’s talk about some of the precautions you can take and what to do if it’s too late.
There are a ton of tips and tricks that you can follow to help keep your pipes from freezing. One of the best ways to avoid this problem is to prep before the winter begins. For ways to winterize your plumbing check out this blog. However, today we want to focus on things you can do during the winter season to help keep your pipes functioning properly. We’re going to list 10 different ways you can prevent your pipes from freezing to keep the list from getting too long.
- Keep garage doors closed
- Keep the thermostat consistent — never let it fall below 55℉
- Ensure doors and windows are properly closed and sealed
- Insulate your pipes
- Open your kitchen cabinets to circulate warm air
- Place a heat lamp near pipes during freezing temperatures
- Seal all crawl spaces
- Seal any wall cracks
- Insulate the area around vents and light fixtures
- Keep your faucet dripping, this keeps water moving through the pipes
What do you do if you haven’t prepared as well as you thought and your pipes freeze? Here’s how you can DIY fix them until you can call a professional. Note these are only temporary fixes, calling a professional is always the safest option.
- Keep your faucet open, this will allow water to flow through the pipes. This will help expedite the thawing process and gives a place for the steam and water to go during the process.
- Thaw the pipes in the area that they have frozen. You can do this by applying an electronic heating pad, using a blow dryer, or using warm towels. When doing this be patient and careful, do not leave these things unattended. Note that you should not use a blowtorch or any kind of open flame because this creates an extremely dangerous situation.
- Once you’ve thawed the pipe be sure to keep water moving through it.
All of these are only temporary fixes to the issue and can be dangerous if not done carefully. Again the SAFEST and BEST option is to call a professional to come out and help you thaw out your pipes. Miller’s services offers 24/7 emergency service so we can help you when you need it. Miller’s is happy to help you with all of your plumbing needs. If you have any questions or need more help keeping your pipes from freezing this winter give us a call (804) 758-4314.