Common Reasons Pipes Burst During Winter?

Winter is upon us, and, depending on where you live in the country, that can mean sledding, skiing, cozy nights by the fire—and (oh no!) burst pipes. We polled a team of professionals about common causes of pipes bursting in winter and ideas for preventing this disaster. Here’s what they had to say.

You know it is cold outside, but it is warm inside so it should be no problem.

Hold that thought.

Did you disconnect your hoses from your exterior water spigots? One of the most common reasons for burst water pipes is the hose you forgot to disconnect before the temperatures dropped. You watch the daytime high temps, but make certain you check the nighttime low temps. Water left in the spigots at the exterior of the home can freeze, burst, and quickly flood your interior.

Other exterior areas often left out of sight and out of mind include your crawlspace, your attic, and your garage. If you have plumbing pipes in these areas, you better have them winterized or properly insulated. They actually make a heated tape that can be wrapped around plumbing pipes in extreme climates to ensure they do not freeze. Close off those crawlspace vents that were opened in the summer to allow air exchange to reduce moisture and mold. Your concern now is to retain heat in the crawlspace.

Plumbing pipes exposed to the outside of your home are not the only pipes in jeopardy. You heat the interior of your home, but not all areas receive equal heating. What about interior areas that are shut off from your heat source? On extremely cold days, the plumbing pipes under your sink can be subjected to much colder temperatures than the space outside the cabinets. Consider leaving your cabinet doors open during these extremes to allow the hidden pipes to receive appropriate heat.

Exterior walls adjacent to finished living space are required to be insulated. Pipes in those walls should also be insulated, but gaps in the insulation can leave those areas at risk for freezing in the colder seasons. Unfortunately, you may only learn of these problem areas after a frozen pipe actually bursts and floods your wall and interior.

If you vacate a home during colder seasons, it would be wise to shut off the water and properly winterize your plumbing system and irrigations systems to eliminate the possibility of frozen and burst pipes. There are several steps in the process, and companies can be hired to complete the process if you are not confident with your ability to do so.

The most common reason for pipes bursting in the winter has to do with dropping temperatures. This can cause problems like weakening the pipes themselves, resulting in cracks and leaking once things thaw. But more commonly, frozen water in the pipes causes a blockage. That blockage will stop water that hasn’t frozen from being able to move through the pipes. Pressure builds and suddenly, the water has no choice but to force its way out – through the pipe.

In our kitchen where the pipes connect outside, if we leave the cabinets closed, the pipes freeze and burst because the water expands. However, if we leave the cabinets open so that the warm air can circulate in and around the pipes, it stops them from freezing and expanding and bursting.