Let’s face it; Utah winters can be harsh. Cold temperatures can freeze pipes, which lead to them bursting. This can cause massive financial damage to a home. Hiring a company to repair damaged Utah pipes can be expensive. So, how do you keep your pipe from freezing and bursting?
First, let’s understand how burst pipes happen. When temperatures drop inside a home, due to either poor insulation or no heating, pipes freeze. As the pressure builds up from compressed, frozen water, pipes can burst. The amount of damage is immeasurable. It could be as little as repairing the pipe itself, or the entire house could be damaged if a pipe breaks in a roof and floods the home. Such repairs can be expensive and time consuming.
Pipes freeze more commonly in areas where the climate is typically warm as opposed to areas where the weather tends to be cooler. This is because most of the pipes located in warmer areas are often located outside of insulation. This makes them incredibly susceptible to freezing weather when unusual weather rolls around. However, pipes that are properly insulated can still be subject to freezing. Here are some tips you can consider to proactively try and avoid pipes from freezing.
Keeping Pipes From Freezing
- When the temperatures drop outside, open cabinets and room doors can allow heat to circulate throughout a home. Areas that are sealed off can become too cold, thus causing the pipes to burst.
- Pipes in attics, crawl spaces, or outside the house are especially susceptible to freezing. These should be wrapped with insulation or heat cables.
- Cracks and holes that are located near pipes should also be sealed so that the cold air cannot get in.
- Remove hoses from their hose bibs when the weather begins to drop. These bibs should be insulated. Water can build up on the bibs, freezing the hose and the nozzle. Cold air can also seep into the open nozzle, so keeping these insulated will keep air from making its way into pipes inside your home.
- Annually check your insulation to make sure that no random damage has occurred. Animals can sometimes invade crawl spaces or attics and tear up insulation. Additionally, proper weather sealing can wear away and water can leak inside from rain or snow, effectively ruining insulation.
- If you’re going away for a few days and leaving a home unattended, let your faucet drip. By letting water run you can keep the water inside the pipes from freezing by keeping it flowing. There’s no need to turn on the faucet all the way. Simply let it drip as to allow for on-going water flow.