Broken Arrow's cold winter weather can cause your pipes to freeze and burst, leading to flooding and damage to your property. Fortunately, you can protect your pipes and your home from damage by taking the right steps. Here are some valuable tips to help you prevent your pipes from freezing.
Insulate Your Pipes
Insulate cold- and hot-water pipes in the unheated areas of your home with products made specifically for pipes, such as pipe sleeves, UL-listed heat tape, and thermostatically controlled heat cables. Newspaper and old towels can also provide some form of insulation for exposed water pipes.
Consider adding insulation to your attic, basement, and crawl space to keep temperatures higher in those areas.
Secure Your Outdoor Hoses, Faucets, and Valves
Before winter is upon you, ensure that you disconnect, drain, and store outdoor hoses. Close the indoor valves supplying your outdoor hose bibs. Open those hose bibs to drain water from them.
Keep Your Thermostat Settings Consistent
Quick temperature drops and setting the thermostat too low are common factors behind frozen pipes. You can protect your pipes from freezing by setting your thermostat to the same temperature during day and night.
Open Cabinet Doors
Opening bathroom- and kitchen-cabinet doors allows warm indoor air to circulate around the pipes and appliances under sinks and close to exterior walls.
Let Water Trickle
A precautionary measure you should take when it's frigid outside is to allow cold water to drip from the faucet connected to exposed pipes. That helps protect pipes from freezing.
Protect Pipes Before Traveling
You'll need to take some measures to avoid worrying about your plumbing while on vacation. You can turn your heating system down (but not off) to prevent your pipes from freezing while you're away. Set the thermostat to at least 55 degrees to help protect pipes.
Check and change your thermostat batteries if necessary before leaving. It's also a good idea to have a neighbor or friend check your home regularly to see if the air is sufficiently warm to prevent frozen pipes.
Don't forget to add these preventive measures to your home-maintenance checklist for winter to protect pipes from freezing and causing property damage. If you need any plumbing services in the Broken Arrow area, contact the professionals with more than 50 years of experience at Air Assurance.