How To: Prevent Frozen Pipes This Winter

It’s August and you know what that means, the kids will be going back to school and winter is fast approaching. If you own your own home in Derby you know that there is nothing worse than coming home to a frozen pipe that burst. Cleaning up the water damage from a frozen pipe can be stressful, messy, expensive and time consuming work.

There are main factors that determine the risk of frozen pipes in your home during the winter.

Location, Location and Insolation.

• Where you live and how cold the weather conditions get.
• Where your pipes are located in your home.
• How well your pipes are insulated.

Professional Restoration Systems has come up with a short list of tips you can use to prevent your pipes from freezing this winter.

Pipe Location

You can avoid unwanted surprises and prevent a water damage disaster by knowing where your plumbing system is located. The Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Guide informs us that the pipes that are more prone to freeze are:

• Swimming pool and hot tub supply lines.
• Sprinkler lines.
• Supply lines that are in unheated areas such as basements, attics, garages and crawl spaces.
• Outdoor hose connections.
• Pipes that are located along exterior walls.
• Pipes that are located near poorly insulated walls.

Insulate

Insulation is an important part of protecting your home from severe cold weather. The better the insulation, the warmer your pipes and you will be.  Insulating your basement, attic, crawl space and exterior walls is crucial when it comes to preventing frozen pipes and winter water damage.

Stay Warm

Keeping the heat on during the winter can get expensive but if you are worried that your pipes will freeze this winter raising the temperature in your home can go a long way.  If you plan on leaving your home for the winter make sure you set the thermostat to a reasonable temperature. No one wants to come home to a house full of water and mold because they turned the heat down too far.

Running Water

You might have heard this from your grandmother and she would be right. Letting your faucets drip on a cold night can keep the pipes from freezing solid.  The best part of this solution is that even a small trickle can prevent your pipes from freezing.

Outdoor Maintenance

Draining water from your swimming pool or hot tub or blowing out your sprinkler lines can easily be done to prevent frozen pipes.

If your pipes freeze and burst call Professional Restoration Systems today! We have the knowledge and experience that matters when dealing with water damage cleanup in Derby from frozen pipes.