Frozen Pipes

You don’t like to be cold and neither do your pipes. The most common mistake folks make is to leave water running to an outside spigot during the winter months.  If you go on vacation and turn off the heat you may also return to find your pipes frozen. When the pipes freeze they burst and you could find yourself with water in your basement and damage to your foundation and belongings.

If you are leaving for an extended period of time be sure to keep your heat at 50 degrees. This will keep the pipes sufficiently warm to keep them from freezing. If you are going to be gone for a long time you may want to consider shutting the water off to the house completely. No water, no frozen pipes.

Another method for avoiding frozen pipes is to keep water moving. Standing water will freeze before moving water. A faucet that is running slightly will prevent the water feeding it from freezing. This method is probably most useful in the event that your furnace goes out and you need to keep the pipes from freezing until it can be repaired.

You can help prevent frozen pipes by insulating them as well. This is particularly important if your house doesn’t have a basement and the pipes are located in a crawlspace. The insulation comes in long cylindrical pieces with a slot to allow it to be easily slipped on to the pipe.

Inspecting pipes exposed to cold conditions is very important. If you’ve allowed the pipes to get too cold and they start to leak you are nearing a failure. Turn the water off immediately and have the pipe repaired.

If you missed the warning signs and the pipes have burst you will need to shut the water off right away and call a plumber. Keep children and pets away because the water is frigid. If you can, protect your feet with galoshes and remove as much of your personal belongings as possible.

If you are concerned with pipes potentially freezing, call Mies Plumbing and we can help ensure that yours are protected. If you find your pipes have already failed, call us and we can help repair them as good as new.