As winter approaches, people put on the necessary clothing to keep warm. Just like you, the water pipes in your home must also be kept warm so they don’t freeze. If you are looking for some tips on how to prevent your water pipes from freezing in the cold season, you can keep reading. Also, you will learn how to thaw frozen pipes.
Prevention Tips
Here are some tips that can help you prevent frozen pipes.
insulate the pipes
Be sure to insulate all pipes properly with high quality pressure insulation. The insulation must fit correctly and there must be no gaps. You may want to use duct tape at insulation joints.
heat pipes
For protection against overheating, you can wrap the pipes with a quality heat tape. These treadmills come with a built-in thermostat.
sprinkler system
You need to turn off the sprinkler and then drain the water from the irrigation lines by blowing compressed air.
drip taps
You may want to drip drip your bathroom and kitchen faucets so the water doesn’t get stuck in the pipes.
laundry rooms
If your laundry room does not have a faucet, we suggest that you run your washing machine for a few minutes. This will allow the water to run through the water pipes.
cabinets
You may want to open the cabinet doors under the sinks and bath to allow internal heat to enter the pipes.
Ice machine
If your ice maker’s water line runs below your house, you may want to turn your ice maker on.
Garage
In cold water, be sure to keep the garage door closed.
Base
If your home has a crawl space, the foundation must be closed. You can use expanding foam or caulk to fill in the gaps. You may want to cover or close the vents in the foundation in winter.
Base
You may want to close the exterior basement doors and windows.
Garden hose
Garden hoses need to be disconnected and drained.
exterior faucets
If you want to protect your outdoor faucets, you can use insulating foam covers. Alternatively, you can stop the water supply to the outside taps and then open the taps so that no water remains in the pipes.
stop leaks
As soon as summer approaches, you need to turn off the ice maker and faucets. Then you may want to check your water meter for invisible leaks.
How to thaw frozen pipes
Below are some steps you need to take to thaw your frozen pipes.
water cut
Before thawing frozen pipes, make sure the water shutoff tap is available.
open faucet
Then you must open the faucet so that the water runs through the pipe. This will relieve pressure build up in the pipeline.
use heat
You can use a heat lamp, hair dryer, or space heater to thaw frozen pipes.
So, here are some tips that can help you get the job done without any trouble.
