When freezing temperatures are expected in your area, it is important to take proper precautions to protect your home from unexpected damage caused by frozen pipes. Follow these tips to prepare your home for a freeze.
Wrap Your Pipes
Be sure that any water lines that are in unheated areas like garages, attics or crawl spaces, or around the exterior of your home are properly wrapped with pipe insulation. Take note that the insulation fits snuggly around the pipes and is sealed with tape at any seams.
This also includes any outside faucets. You can pick up faucet covers at any local hardware store. Disconnect your hose and place the cover over the faucet until temperatures are back above freezing.
If you are unsure of what you need to wrap, reach out to a plumber for assistance.
Run Your Water
When temperatures are forecasted to be below freezing for several hours overnight, you should run a small stream of both hot and cold water from the faucet furthest away from where the water comes into your home. This stream should be no thicker than a strand of spaghetti.
Think about it like this. Lakes freeze before rivers because the water in a river is constantly moving. Keep the water moving in your lines to keep them from freezing.
Open Cabinet Doors
Leave the doors of your kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets open. This allows for the warm air in your home to get in the cabinets and warm your pipes.
Even when you take all of the steps to prepare your home for a freeze, disasters still do happen. If your pipes do freeze, causing water damage to your home or business, contact the team at Disaster Masterz for your water cleanup needs. We are “Here When You Need Us Most!”