Dealing With Frozen Pipes

 
As the winter months are approaching, it is important for homeowners to understand the issue of frozen pipes. Steps should be taken within the household to winterize pipes in order to avoid freezing, bursting, and other damage. Frozen pipes can lead to severe water damage in a home if not quickly taken care of.

Why Does A Plumbing System Freeze?

When the outside weather gets cold enough, if pipes are not properly winterized within a home they can freeze. Factors that affect how quick a plumbing system will freeze include:

• The outside temperature
• Temperature within the home where the pipes are located
• Whether the wind is blowing
• If water is periodically flowing through the pipes

How Can I Prevent My Plumbing System From Freezing?

During severe temperatures there are steps a homeowner can take to prevent pipes from freezing. One of the first steps to take to prevent a plumbing system from freezing is to insulate. Insulation can be placed in areas of the home that are not heated such as attics and crawlspaces. Insulation will help keep the temperatures in these areas from dipping too low provided that the rest of the home is properly heated.

Another way to prevent pipes from freezing is to turn the temperature up in your home. Most pipes that freeze will be in areas of the home that are not heated, but if you increase the overall temperature within your home, you can increase the temperature in even the unheated areas of the home such as attics and crawlspaces.

A space heater can also be used to help prevent pipes from freezing. The purpose of the heater is not to heat the entire area that the pipes are located in, it is to simply keep the water in the pipes from freezing.

Opening cabinet doors where pipes run through is another way to help prevent your plumbing system from freezing. It is not uncommon for pipes to run through cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. By opening the cabinet doors, heat from the rest of the home can more easily reach the pipes.

Why Is It Important To Keep Your Plumbing System From Freezing?

A frozen plumbing system can cause extreme damage within a home. As water within the pipes freezes it puts an excess amount of pressure on the pipes. The added pressure in the pipes can lead to burst pipes in your home. Water damage can quickly spread throughout a home from a burst pipe.

Is the cold La Grange winter making you think about the security of your plumbing system? Call Allan E Power today at [phone] for top quality frozen pipe services.