During the cold winter months, the temperature drops down to a level that it freezes the water inside plumbing lines. And when water turns into ice, it actually expands and forces the pipes to burst. When this happens, you won’t be able to use the fixtures hooked to that affected pipe and that’s undoubtedly inconvenient. Aside from that, you should also expect repair expenses when the pipes break. To prevent this plumbing problem from happening, check out these valuable tips!
1. If there are water pipes located in your garage, guarantee that you’ll leave the garage door closed. This way, the cold air won’t be able to come in and freeze the pipes.
2. You must have outdoor hoses that you used for watering the plants or cleaning. Make sure that you’ll remove, drain and store them properly. Also take time to shut the valves off that supply the outdoor hose bibs with water. Lastly, drain the hose bibs as well because they may also freeze.
3. Let warm air circulate around the pipes. You can do this by leaving the kitchen cabinet and bathroom doors open.
4. If you’re going on a long vacation, ask someone to check your house for leaks or freezing pipes. Also leave your heater on and keep an indoor temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. If you have a swimming pool or a water sprinkler system, drain them properly. Don’t use antifreeze because it has chemical ingredients that are detrimental to living organisms.
6. Allow a little water to trickle from your faucets that are supplied by outdoor pipes. Running water is less likely to freeze than stagnant water.
7. Make use of heating cables to keep your plumbing pipes warm. You can get them from the hardware or plumbing supply shops. Read the instructions carefully on how to use them.
8. Insulate your water lines most especially those that are installed in cold areas like the basement, crawl spaces, garages, bathroom cabinets and attics.
9. Use foam boards to insulate large areas. They may be quite daunting to cut and install but they’re definitely worth the effort.
10. Leave your thermostat at the same temperature (warm) in the evening. You may pay for high utility bills but at least your pipes won’t freeze.
We hope that you learned how to prevent pipes from freezing from our blog today. If problems persist, just call the most reliable Lake Tapawingo plumbers. Plumbers 911 Missouri provides exceptional plumbing services in Lake Tapawingo MO including frozen pipes repair, backflow prevention, leak detection, drain cleaning, camera inspection and many more! Call us at 816-326-8643 to schedule a service!
Get more frozen pipes prevention tips! Watch this video we found on YouTube!
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