During winter seasons the temperatures drop as a result your pipes might be prone to freezing, cracking, or bursting. By taking preventive measures and frequent monitoring on your pipes you can avoid freezing pipes and the costly damages. Choose the best pipe insulation to prevent freezing and cracking.
Here are a few preventive steps to stop pipes from freezing,
Keep Your Thermostat Consistent
Keep your thermostat at the same temperature throughout the day. It may be tempting to adjust the thermostat when the temperature fluctuates, but constant air circulation will be the only option to prevent a costly plumbing repair.
Insulate Your Pipes
If any of your water pipes run against the exterior wall then ensure whether they are insulated properly. Suppose if there are any unfinished works in basements or crawl spaces, the dropping temperatures can put your pipes at risk.
Open Cabinet Doors
Fortunately, in many homes, the kitchen and bathroom sinks will be located against an exterior wall. Those exterior areas may not be insulated properly and cold air from outside can freeze the pipes beneath the sinks. To avoid such issues, leave the cabinet doors open to facilitate the movement of warmer air.
Turn on the Faucet
If the weather is too cold, then allow water to run through your pipes. Running water through pipes that are exposed to exterior walls will prevent the pipes from freezing. As temperatures fluctuate, remember your drain lines as well, as these can easily freeze.
Seal Air Leaks
The locations where pipes enter your walls are the biggest sources of air leaks that allow freezing. These holes need to be insulated to protect your home from wasting energy, and also to protect your plumbing lines. If your pipelines are located inside your walls just a few feet away from the pipe from inside are particularly vulnerable to freezing, so you should do everything you can to insulate this area. Find the holes and fill them in with insulation to prevent as much airflow as possible.
Air leaks can also be found near windows, below the sink, and near doors; if any plumbing lines run near by these areas, carefully insulate it to prevent freezing.
At what temperature do pipes freeze?
Most pipes don’t freeze above 20℉. Probably, at 32 degrees the water freezes, and the pipes that are very close to the source of warmth will freeze as soon as the weather hits that point. But in some typically-temperate areas the pipes could freeze or burst at a slightly higher temperature.