Frozen Pipes! Prevent a winter plumbing disaster with these 7 homeowner tips:
Drain any water from all outdoor pipes that are likely to freeze like sprinkler water supply lines. Have your pool winterized by a professional too. Frozen pipes under the ground are super hard to locate to repair.
If pipes on an outside wall are inside cupboards, leave the doors open to allow warmer air to circulate inside. Spaces like cold rooms, laundry rooms and basements are particularly susceptible to frozen pipes.
Disconnect any hoses outside your home. Drain the hoses and store in your garage or basement. Winter temperatures can crack plastic hoses. Close the indoor valves supplying these outdoor lines then open the outdoor taps. You don’t want any water left inside these pipes through your foundation. We recommend the installation of “frost-free” hose bibs. Feel free to call us for details.
Insulate around second floor vents and light fixtures to help prevent heat from escaping into the attic. There can be tremendous heat loss through leaky ceiling fixtures. (not really plumbing-related but maybe helpful anyway)
On the coldest days (which we get lots of) allow your faucets to drip cold water very slowly. The slight water movement will make it harder for your lines to freeze. Yes unfortunately there will be wasted water here. This is not the best solution so we recommend contacting a professional plumber like ours here at Harris Plumbing for suggestions on how to make your water lines freeze-proof if possible. Click here for more info.. https://harrisplumbing.ca/residential-plumbing/
If you go away leave your house temperature above 55F or 13C. Also have a friend or neighbour check your house daily to ensure your furnace is working as it should. Along with making sure your furnace is working and your home is warm-ish, they could check around for any leaks from frozen pipes or other signs of cracked pipes due to freezing.
Place a lamp with a 60-watt bulb in smaller areas where you’re concerned about frozen pipes especially if pipes run along an outside wall. Put insulation between the pipes and outside wall if possible. This bulb will generate just enough heat to prevent freezing of water inside your pipes in this area as long as the area isn’t too big.
What To Do If You Find A Frozen Pipe
If you suspect a frozen pipe in your home, business or cottage, find the split pipe and expose the entire area to warmer inside air as soon as possible.
Clean up any water and if necessary shut down your home’s water main to stop further damage from happening.
Call a professional plumber like Harris Plumbing right away. We can help.
Home Inspections
If you suspect that you may have questionable areas in your home that may be prone to frozen pipes, call us here at Harris Plumbing for a thorough Home Inspection. We’ll give you a written report of 1. Things that look great, 2. things that look questionable and 3. things that need plumbing attention right away. Then you can make your decision as to what you want to do. It’s as easy as that.
Harris Plumbing ~ The Plumbers YOU Can Count On… since 1974
