Ways to Avoid Frozen Pipes
Ways to Avoid Frozen Pipes
Most people move to the gulf coast, to take advantage of some of the best weather in the country. Our winters are almost non-existent, at least in comparison to the more northern states. However, we do dip into freezing temperatures occasionally. While these temperatures don’t usually last long, they can lead to frozen or cracked pipes. These can quickly turn into a emergency for you and your household. The average Floridian is usually prepared with hurricane go bags packed, tubes of sunscreen hidden away in every vehicle, and may even know the best way to deal with an alligator in the family pool. But because temperatures below 32 degrees rarely happen here, southern homeowners don’t usually worry about plumbing issues caused by winter weather. Our northern neighbors are more acquainted with these problems and have a yearly checklist they follow to mitigate the chances of a disaster.
In this article we will go over a few things you can do yourself to protect your home from frozen pipes during the colder nights this winter:
Get a Visual.
Has the padding around your sprinkler system worn thin? Have rodents eaten away at the insulation coating your pipes? Any pipes sticking out of the ground without insulation? Simply looking at the exposed parts of your homes plumbing system can reveal a lot about the condition of it.
Open Up.
Plumbing lines usually enter your house through an outside wall, usually a wall in the kitchen or a washroom. When cabinet doors are closed under the sink it can stay colder in the cabinet than in the rest of your home. Opening up the doors and allowing the warm air from your home to circulate into those spaces can help keep the pipes from freezing.
Get Covered.
For your outdoor pipes that don’t have any insulation make sure you insulate them with something. Even taping a towel around them can help prevent freezing. For outside spickets, you can buy winter covers from almost any hardware store.
Drip, Drip, Drip.
We’ve all heard the saying “moving water wont freeze” and while technically correct there is a bit more that goes into it. Turn on one or two faucets in the home so there is a small steady stream flowing. This allows a flow of water through the pipes, that prevents ice from forming.
Too late they froze, what now?
You should turn off the water supply. Some homeowners have access to valves that will allow you to turn off the flow of water to specific sources. If you don’t have these valves, or don’t know where to access them, use your main shut-off valve and stop all water from flowing.
Call Air Design to the rescue! We are available 24/7 to come help with your frozen pipes should you need us call 202-COOL.