How To Prevent Frozen Pipes

Tis the season for frozen water lines. With our cold winter weather upon us it is easy for water lines to freeze, not allowing water supply to your home or worse bursting a water line. The staff here at Plumb-Rite Plumbing & Heating, Inc. would like to give you a few simple tips that could save you hundreds of dollars preventing your water lines from freezing.

1.) Heat Tapes: Installing heat tapes on your water lines is an easy way to keep those pipes nice and toasty. You can pick up heat tapes at your local Hardware store for a reasonable price or call Plumb-Rite Plumbing today, we have our highly trained professional technicians that would be happy to help properly install your heat tape. If you have heat tape already installed on your water lines be sure to check them and make sure they are working properly. Heat tapes have a light on them that indicates if the tape is receiving power. You can also feel the heat tape, it should be warm to the touch.Remember that majority of the time your hot water lines will freeze before your cold. 

2.) Insulate: Older homes and trailer homes are more prone to having insulation issues. A more permanent solution would be to call an insulation company, this will be a more expensive fix. If your looking for a more affordable solution try sealing off all doors and windows that have a strong draft and use pipe insulation. You will want to well insulate  pipes that are located on exterior walls of your home due to the fact that these walls will be colder then the rest of your home. Don’t forget about your basement or underneath your trailer. These places can be the first location that pipes will freeze especially for trailer homes and crawl spaces where heat is not directed. 

3.) Open Cupboards: If temperatures drop to the low you can even open cupboards or doors to your restrooms to get a good flow of heat running throughout your home and to those pipes under your sinks. You will want to keep your home at around 70º.

4.) Outside Spigots: Be sure to prep your yards and gardens for winter by unhooking your hoses from you outside spigots,(hose bibs). If you leave your hoses hooked to your spigots water can build up in them allowing them to freeze up into the spigot breaking the spigot or worse freezing up the line inside your home and bursting the line. This can cause tremendous exterior and interior damages costing you lots of money for repairs and replacements. 

If you have any questions or concerns about frozen water lines call Plumb-Rite Plumbing & Heating, Inc. today. We have highly trained professionals that will come out to your home for a plumbing inspections making sure that your home is ready for the winter weather.