Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing · Disconnect all gardening hoses and install covers on all outside faucets. · Keep your house temperature at 68 degrees or higher, even if youre leaving the house for an extended period of time. · Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow heat from the home to circulate. · Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. (Learning the location of these valves may come in handy during an emergency.) · Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or with heating tape. This can prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls. · Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently. · Heat your basement and consider weather sealing your windows. · Insulate outside walls and unheated areas of your home. · If you plan to be away from home for an extended period of time, shut off water supply valves to your washing machine. Monitor Freezing Pipe Conditions · Allow a faucet to drip slightly (lukewarm water) in order to minimize freezing. · The first sign of freezing is reduced water flow from a faucet. · Check your faucets for water flow and pressure before you go to sleep and again when you wake up. · Check pipes around your water meter, in unheated areas, near exterior walls and in crawl spaces. · These tend to be vulnerable to freezing conditions. · Identify cold air drafts coming in from a flue or chimney chase and caulk gaps that are near pipes. If a Pipe Freezes · If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.) · To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes. · When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out. If a Pipe Bursts · Shut off water at the main valve. · If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed. · Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:37:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015