Snow-covered winter weather offers things like sledding down the neighborhood hill or snowball fights in the neighbor's yard. That being said, winter weather can be hard on your home. Excessively cold conditions can encourage the water lines in your plumbing to freeze and burst, which could cause serious water damage and lasting negative effects.

If your pipes are frozen, you may want to contact a plumber in Narvon to handle the problem. That being said, there’s several tasks you can attempt to prevent this from happening – and even just a bit of prevention can go a long way.

What Pipes Are at More Risk of Freezing

The pipes at the highest risk of freezing are uninsulated water lines. Common locations for uninsulated pipes are inside attic crawlspaces, near exterior walls, in the basement or even running under a modular home. Water lines that are not appropriately insulated are at the biggest risk.

How to Stop Pipes from Freezing Over in Your Home

Properly insulating uncovered water lines is a great first step to keeping your pipes free of ice. You’ll likely find most of these materials from the local plumbing company, and could also already have some somewhere in your home.

Be careful not to cover other flammable insulation materials where they may light on fire. If you don’t feel safe insulating the pipes yourself, contact your local plumbing services professional in Narvon to do the job.

If you do decide to insulate the pipes by yourself, good insulation materials for pipes are:

  • Wraps or roll insulation: Multiple plumbers, hardware stores and large retailers offer insulation – commonly fiberglass, foam wraps or pipe sleeves – that you can use to wrap or fit around your pipes. They are offered in different lengths and sizes to satisfy the needs of your home.
  • Newspaper: In a pinch, newspaper can be used as an insulator. If the weather is getting colder and you aren’t able to buy insulation before then, wrap uninsulated pipes in this.
  • Towels or rags: If you miss the opportunity to add insulation and don’t have any newspaper close by, wrapping notably vulnerable pipes with towels or clean rags as a final effort may be just enough to keep the cold air off the pipes.

An additional preventative step you can try to prevent pipes from becoming frozen is to seal any cracks that can allow cold air into your home. Focus on the window frames, which can allow in surprisingly intense drafts. Not only will this help to keep your pipes from freezing, but it will have the added benefit of making your home more energy efficient.

Five More Ways to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing:

  • Open the cabinet doors. Opening the cabinet doors under the sinks and other rooms of your home with plumbing will permit more warm air from the rest of the room to reach the pipes.
  • Letting water drip. Letting water flow by letting your faucets trickle even a small amount can help thwart frozen pipes.
  • Open interior doors. By opening doors for rooms or hallways, your home can be heated more consistently. This is mostly important if you have a room that is generally colder or hotter than the remainder of your home.
  • Close the garage door. The exception to the open doors recommendation is the garage door, which you should keep closed – especially if your water lines can be found near or under the garage.
  • Keep the heat steady. Experts suggest setting the thermostat at a uniform temperature and leaving it there, rather than allowing it to get lower at night. Set it no cooler than 55 degrees.

How to Keep Pipes from Freezing in an Empty Home

When you’re inside a house, it’s easy to know when something isn't right. But what extra steps can you try to stop pipes from freezing in an unused home or vacation home when the damage from a frozen pipe may not be discovered for days or even weeks?

As with your primary residence, adding insulation to any exposed water lines, opening interior doors throughout the home and winterizing the vacant home are the best steps to try at first.

Extra Steps to Stop Pipes from Freezing in a Vacant Home:

  1. Leave the heat on. Even though you aren’t going to be there, it’s best to leave the heat on – even if you switch the thermostat down cooler than you would if you were there. As with a primary home, experts suggest keeping the temperature at no cooler than 55 degrees.
  2. Shut water off and drain the lines. If you’re going to be gone for several weeks or are winterizing a seasonal cabin or cottage, switching the water off to the house and draining the water out of the water lines is one way to keep pipes from freezing and breaking. Don’t forget to drain the water out of all appliances, such as the hot water heater, or the toilets. Confirm you get all the water from the plumbing. If you’re unsure of how to clear out the water from the pipes, or don’t feel confident doing it on your own, a plumber in Narvon will be happy to offer support.