Effective Tips for Winterizing Your Plumbing and Safeguarding Against Freezing Temperatures
Effective Tips for Winterizing Your Plumbing and Safeguarding Against Freezing Temperatures
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All homeowners that live in warm climates should do their best to winterize their pipelines. It is something you have to do throughout autumn before deep winter months absolutely begins. Failure to do so can lead to catastrophe like frozen, fractured, or ruptured pipes. Here are some handy winterizing hacks to keep your plumbing system protected even if the weather outside is shocking.
Activate the Faucets
When the temperature level decreases and it appears as if the icy temperature will last, it will help to transform on your water both indoors and outdoors. This will certainly maintain the water moving via your plumbing systems. You'll finish up throwing away gallons of water this means.
Open Up Cabinet Doors Hiding Plumbing
It would certainly be handy to open closet doors that are masking your pipes when it's chilly outside. They could be somewhere in your cooking area or restroom. This will certainly enable the cozy air from your heating unit to circulate there. Therefore, you stop these subjected pipes from freezing. Doing this tiny method can keep your pipes warm and restrict the potentially unsafe outcomes of freezing temperatures.
Take Time to Wrap Exposed Piping
One easy as well as awesome hack to heat up icy pipelines is to cover them with warm towels. You can additionally make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, just do not fail to remember to put on safety handwear covers to guard your hands from the warmth.
Try a Hair Clothes Dryer or Heat Gun
When your pipes are almost freezing, your trusty hair clothes dryer or warm gun is a godsend. Bowling hot air straight into them may assist if the hot towels do not aid displace any type of settling ice in your pipelines. Do not use other objects that produce straight fires like a strike lantern. This can lead to a bigger disaster that you can not regulate. You might end up harmful your pipes while trying to melt the ice. And also in the future, you may even end up shedding your residence. So be cautious!
When Pipes are Frozen, shut Off Water
If you notice that your pipes are totally frozen or almost nearing that phase, transform off the major water shutoff quickly. You will usually find this in your basement or utility room near the heater or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off today to stop more damage.
With more water, more ice will certainly load up, which will eventually lead to break pipelines. If you are uncertain regarding the state of your pipelines this winter months, it is best to call an expert plumber for an examination.
All property owners who live in temperate climates should do their finest to winterize their pipes. Failure to do so can mean catastrophe like icy, cracked, or ruptured pipelines. If the hot towels do not help displace any working out ice in your pipelines, bowling hot air directly right into them may assist. Turn off the main water shutoff right away if you observe that your pipes are entirely frozen or virtually nearing that stage. With even more water, more ice will certainly pile up, which will ultimately lead to break pipelines.
How To Keep Your Pipes From Freezing This Winter
How Cold Does It Have to Be for Pipes to Freeze?
Before we get into what you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing, let’s first make sure that you can answer the question, “When do pipes freeze?”
In general, you should expect your pipes to potentially freeze once the temperature gets close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s also important to recognize that, even if you live in a warmer climate, you’re not immune from having to deal with frozen pipes.
In some cases, you may even be at a higher risk. This is because your pipes aren’t insulated well enough to handle colder temperatures.
Pipes are also at a greater risk of freezing if they’re located in the basement or the attic of your home. This is because they’re not able to get as much heat as pipes in other parts of your home are.
So, when you’re taking precautions to prevent your pipes from freezing, make sure that you pay special attention to pipes in those areas.
Common Signs of Frozen Pipes
Now that you know how to keep your pipes from freezing, let’s talk about a few of the most common signs that it’s too late.
If your pipes have already frozen, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible. If you know what to watch out for, you’ll be able to act much faster — potentially saving you from serious disaster.
Interestingly, one of the biggest signs of a frozen pipe is a nasty, strange smell from the drain in a sink or even the faucet itself. This is because the smell can’t filter out of the pipe, and instead is forced to come back up towards your home.
You may also see visible signs of frost on the outside of your pipe, which is an almost certain sign that it’s already frozen.
Of course, you may not even be able to get water to run out of your pipe. If you turn on your faucet but no water (or only a few random drips) come out? Then it’s likely that they’ve frozen.
You might also hear whistling and banging coming from the pipes, or even strange bubbling sounds when you flush a toilet.
Finally, take a look at your drywall and ceilings. If you notice any kind of dampness, puddles, or rings, there’s a serious issue.
Remember that, the longer you wait to thaw out the pipe, the more likely it is that it will burst. You don’t want to deal with the expense of replacing a pipe as opposed to thawing it. You especially want to avoid damage to your floors and personal property.
Get in touch with a plumbing professional to get a handle on the situation as soon as possible.
Check out Your Current Insulation
Earlier on in this post, we spoke about the importance of making sure that pipes in less visited areas of your home, like your basement or attic, got enough attention.
Take a look at your insulation in these areas, and determine if it might be smart to add another layer or two.
So, which materials should you use to properly insulate your pipes?
You can’t go wrong with fiberglass sleeves or even foam rubber. If you’re a bit anxious about properly fitting them on your own, then we suggest that you call in a professional to help you.
This is usually an effective solution for exposed pipes. However, if you have more serious concerns, then it may be the right time to re-insulate your walls and ceilings completely.
When in Doubt, Open Your Doors
One final tip on how to keep your pipes from freezing?
Believe it or not, keeping your interior doors open may be the solution you’re after.
First of all, keeping things open will allow the heat to circulate better throughout your entire home. Additionally, make sure that you open up your cabinet door if you have pipes underneath the sink.
This will ensure that they’re able to maintain a proper temperature to keep from freezing.
DIY Thawing Tips for Frozen Pipes
In most cases — and especially if you’re certain that the pipe has seriously frozen — you’ll need the help of a professional to thaw your pipes.
However, if you feel like it hasn’t yet frozen completely, there are a few DIY hacks you can do to speed up the thawing process.
Before you try out any of these tips, make sure that the faucet is completely open (turn both the hot and cold handles if needed.)
Start as close to the faucet as possible to get the most effective and fastest thaw.
If you’re trying to thaw an exposed pipe, you can wrap them in hot towels to slowly bring them back up to a warmer temperature. You can also use a hair dryer, a space heater, or even a heat lamp.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to monitor the pipes during this entire process, as walking away can be seriously dangerous to not only your home but your plumbing as well. In the event that something does burst, know where your main valve water shut off is located and be able to access it quickly.
If the pipes are enclosed, start by turning up the heat in your home. In some cases, this may be enough to thaw them out.
You can also use a small infrared lamp. Hold it up to the area where you know the pipes are located for a few minutes. Sometimes, this will do the trick when it comes to thawing pipes.
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