by Trevor Woods |
Last Updated: September 25, 2020 With the arrival of winter comes the hazard of freezing pipes. That’s why you should be educated on how to handle this cold weather situation. There are many reasons why water freezes inside the pipes, like a low
This results in the expansion of the volume of the frozen water; thus putting more pressure on the pipes from within. This could potentially cause the pipes to burst. Even a few small cracks in the pipes could cause significant damage to your plumbing and your home that can end up costing you a lot in repairs.
Therefore, it is critical that you use precautionary methods to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. In this helpful guide, you will learn how you can prevent your pipes from freezing, what you should do in case of fully frozen pipes, how to properly thaw frozen pipes, and so much more!
How Do Pipes Freeze?
When water freezes, it expands slightly in volume. Remember that time you put a soda in the freezer to chill it quickly and then forgot about it? That’s right, that exploding pop can was a little lesson in chemical bonds.
Frozen water has more stable hydrogen bonds than in its liquid state, and the structure of these bonds takes up more space. 9% more space to be exact. The crystalline arrangement of frozen water is also less dense liquid water which is why ice cubes float on top of your favorite icy beverage.
While this makes your drinks more refreshing on a hot summer day, this chemistry principle can damage your plumbing in the winter. This specific property of water is a major disadvantage for the water that’s inside your pipes.
As mentioned above, when water freezes, it will expand and the entire system could be at risk of rupturing. The pipes are unable to withstand the expansion of water, no matter how strong the container is. Not to mention that your plumbing pipes are constructed using vulnerable materials, which can easily break when placed under extreme pressure.
A study claims that 18% of pipes tend to get damaged due to the expansion of water. Usually, these accidents occur because pipes end up bursting and need immediate attention. Since the pipes are unable to expand with the water itself, the only thing they can do is burst due to the added pressure.
But, these pipes don’t burst when ice forms. The pipe’s freezing portions force the pressure buildup downstream, meaning between the ice blockage and the faucet. That is where the pipe generally ends up bursting, which are sections of ice-free pipe.
Why Do Pipes Freeze?
There can be several causes for pipes to freeze, but the three main ones are poor insulation, failure of your heating system, and a sudden drop in temperature.
Moreover, both the northern and southern regions experience the issue of frozen pipes. The homes that are used to the warm climate in the southern regions aren’t specifically designed to withstand freezing temperatures.
Plus, these homeowners aren’t particularly well versed in winterizing plumbing techniques. That is why when suddenly the temperature drops, a lot of these warm-weather structures aren’t ready for it. This leads to ice blockages, burst pipes, and flooded homes.
A Sudden Drop In The Outside Temperature
This reason is pretty self-explanatory. If the outside temperature drops extremely low, then the water within your pipes will end up freezing. Usually, this can start with any faucets, pipes, or spigots, which are exposed to the cold.
Typically your outdoor faucets, hose bibs, sprinkler systems, and pipes in outside walls are the first to get frosty, brrr!
Once it is frozen, the water within the spigots and pipes is going to expand, which can cause them to burst. That is when the problem gets worse for the homeowners and this can lead to several other issues as well. Water damage and mold can be more expensive to repair than the busted pipe.
Furthermore, cold winds can also potentially cause freezing pipes. For instance, the unheated areas of your home that have holes, openings, or cracks will let the cold air blow inside. This cooling effect will quicken the formation of ice.
In fact, a significant amount of cold air can come through even from very small openings, for example, holes that allow internet wires, television lines, or telephone cables to enter a room.
Poor Insulation
Poor insulation is another reason for frozen pipes. That is why it is important to insulate all of the pipes inside your home, even in the attic and crawl spaces.
This also goes for the individuals who live in a place where freezing doesn’t normally happen. All of the pipes that are exposed to the elements are more at risk of freezing. Hence, more insulation means more protection for your pipes.
In addition to preventing the pipes from freezing, more insulation will also help with condensation issues and hot water temperature loss.
Thermostat Set Too Low
Low
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Where Are My Pipes Most Likely To Freeze?
The pipes that mostly end up frozen are as follows:
- Pipes visible in extremely cold weather, such as the supply lines of swimming pools, water sprinkler lines, and outdoor hose bibs.
- Water supply pipes located in unheated interior sections, which include garages, attics, kitchen cabinets, crawl spaces, and basements. Pipes located in these sections are highly prone to ice blockage. About 37% of frozen pipe failure incidents take place in the basement. In addition to this, pipe systems threading through exterior walls or cabinets end up freezing in extreme conditions.
- Pipes running against the exterior walls and have little to no insulation.
- Pipes that contain standing water within them. A pipe that has no water flow has higher chances of freezing as compared to a pipe that has water running through it. This can be compared to a river versus a pond. Flowing rivers do not completely freeze, while ponds tend to freeze into blocks of ice when winter arrives.
What Is The Minimum Temperature To Keep Pipes From Freezing?
According to the University of Illinois’s Building Research Council, the temperature at which pipes start to freeze is 20°F (-6°C). More specifically, the researchers over there found that water pipes that are uninsulated will freeze solid once the outside temperature reaches 20 degrees or lower.
However, this temperature threshold can change depending on what the pipes are being exposed to; hence, it is not a fixed temperature. Pipes can end up freezing even when the temperature is more than 20 degrees, depending on the outdoor elements and the wind.
The interior areas where pipes are located close to openings or cracks, which allow cold air to come inside, can create ice blockages despite being in a heated space.
Therefore, it’s best practice not to expose your plumbing pipes to temperatures near that 20 degrees Fahrenheit mark for an extended period of time.
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Ways To Avoid Frozen Pipes While On Vacation
Before you travel during the winter months, make sure that you have taken care of your pipes before you leave your home. Your plumbing will bid you “bon voyage” if you follow these tips:
- Set your
thermostat to 55°F (12°C) and make sure that you replace yourthermostat ’s battery with a brand new one. - Ask someone, like a neighbor or a friend, to visit your place to ensure that it is warm enough and won’t freeze your pipes. Bring them back a souvenir for their help!
- Shut off and then drain your water system. However, you should know that the fire protection sprinkler system of the house will get deactivated once you shut the water supply off, in case you have one.
- Make sure to drain the appliances and the water heater as well. This is important for individuals who live in areas that don’t have adequate home insulation.
- Make sure to add plumbing antifreeze to the toilet tanks, toilet bowls, and all your drains so that the plumbing fixtures and p-traps won’t freeze.
How Do I Keep My Pipes From Freezing Without Heat?
You need to prepare in advance in case of an emergency situation, like when the power goes out during a snowstorm, your furnace breaks in a blizzard, and other cold-weather mishaps.
In these situations, the best thing you can do is to protect the pipes and get an alternative heat source running as soon as you can.
After that, you need to cut the water supply to your home by using the shutoff valve and allow the water to drain from your pipes by opening the faucets.
Moreover, you need to flush the toilets and make use of denatured alcohol or plumbing antifreeze in the toilet bowls in order to stop the traps from freezing solid.
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13 Tips To Prevent Frozen Pipes This Winter
Listed below are all of the best ways you can keep your plumbing safe in cold weather and prevent your pipes from freezing during the winter.
1. Shut-Off Water Supply And Drain
Pipes won’t burst when there is no water in them. As mentioned above, shutting off the water supply of pipes, which lead to any exterior spigot and draining out all of the water, is going to greatly help during the winter months.
You can read our guide on winterizing your outdoor faucets here.
This principle also applies to swimming pools, sprinkle systems,
You need to prepare your plumbing system during the fall prior to the drop in temperature. Before the winter season truly kicks in, disconnect all
2. Insulate Pipes
One of the many ways to protect your plumbing from freezing is to get specifically designed pipe insulation. This insulation is not at all costly and this will be a great investment for your pipes, as compared to paying a lot of money to repair a burst water line.
You can get pipe insulation in several different materials like foam, fiberglass, or polyethylene. But, in case of emergency wadded up newspapers with duct tape can be used temporarily.
Pay close attention to insulate all of the pipes that are located in unheated areas like in your garage, basement, or attic.
Helps prevent your pipes from freezing, sweating, and heat loss.
3. Faucet Covers
If your spigots aren’t frost-proof, then shut OFF the interior valve that leads to that specific faucet. Next, open and then drain the spigot and get a faucet insulator. They aren’t expensive and are extremely worth it!
With these
Protect your outdoor faucets from freezing, wind, and chilly weather.
These covers have a hard outer plastic shell to prevent freeze up in the winter season. Easy to install and insulate your regular and stand-style hose bibs.
4. Keep Garage Doors Closed
This is another way to prevent your pipes from freezing, especially if your water supply lines are going through your garage. Most of the time, garages come with a lot of smooth concrete that helps in keeping the area cool.
Since that area is already chilly, allowing additional cold air to come in the garage will result in a larger temperature drop. This is why water supply lines, if present in the garage, are at a higher risk of freezing if the garage door is left open by accident, whoops!
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5. Open Cabinets
Occasionally, open the cabinets of your kitchen and bathrooms so that warm air will circulate around the plumbing. Doing this is going to help prevent pressure buildup within the pipes and the formation of ice blockages.
On an extremely cold night, open your cabinets before going to bed. This will help in keeping your pipes warm and clear, even in those freezing overnight temperatures.
If you have pets or small children living with you, don’t forget to remove all of the household chemicals and toxic cleaners from those cabinets when you leave them open.
6. Let Faucets Drip
Another thing you can do is to keep your faucet flowing to keep the pipes from freezing. Preferably allowing HOT and COLD water to drip overnight from a faucet that’s located on an outside wall.
This doesn’t mean that you need to turn all of your faucets ON. First, you need to figure out which ones are connected to expose piping. When that is done, leave those specific faucets on when the weather gets extremely cold.
Running water, even a slow trickle, contains massive internal energy as compared to standing water. Friction is created due to the constant movement; hence, the moving water generates a small quantity of heat, making it a lot harder to freeze. Plumbing science for the win!
When you leave a couple of these faucets running, this movement is going to help prevent the formation of ice blockages in your plumbing.
Besides creating friction and heat, a running faucet will relieve the pressure that gets build up in the cold pipes. That way your pipes will not burst, even when the water within them freezes.
In case both your HOT and COLD water pipelines are at risk of freezing, then leaving both of them slightly running is going to ensure that excessive pressure doesn’t build up in the waterlines.
7. Keep The Thermostat Consistent
This is a great method to prevent ice blockages. Keeping the
That is why it is better to keep the
So, avoid turning OFF your
8. Seal Cracks And Openings
Do an inspection in your home and look for any cracks, opening, or holes from where cold air could come in. Moreover, look around door frames and windows for cracks and take a look at the cable holes that are in the floors, walls, and inside cabinets like the ones for Wi-Fi, television, cable wires, etc.
If you have access, make sure to seal all the openings that are around the sill plates, which is where the house rests on top of its foundation.
Don’t forget to check for leaks around mechanical penetrations inside and outside of your home. Search for any cold air around the dryer vents, exhaust pipes, and electrical wiring. Use insulation, expanding foam, or caulk in order to keep the cold air out.
This is going to help in containing warm air, prevent ice blockage, and increase the insulation of your home. In extremely freezing weather, even the tiniest opening will result in the cold air coming inside and freezing your plumbing.
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9. Leave The Heat ON
Are you a snowbird who likes to fly to warmer weather when winter hits? Maybe you’re just planning a weekend getaway. Either way, leave your heat on if you are planning on leaving your place when the colder weather arrives.
Leaving the heat ON in an empty house might sound counterintuitive. But setting your
10. Open Interior Doors
This is another way to maintain a consistent temperature throughout your home. This includes keeping the cabinet doors open as well so that heat can reach the uninsulated pipes located under the sinks and the appliances that are close to the exterior walls.
Often times, plumbing pipes for your kitchen and bathrooms are located in the central areas of the home. These pipes are also at risk of freezing if the warmth inside your house isn’t evenly distributed throughout the structure.
That is why when you keep all your interior doors open, this will help the heat distribute evenly throughout the house. This will allow the warm air to circulate from one room to another, making it a great strategy during extremely cold weather.
11. Seal Crawl Spaces
If your home has a crawl space, this method is useful in harsh winter weather. This will require you to temporarily cover the ventilated crawl spaces within your home.
When you cover the crawl space vents you will restrict the amount of cold air infiltrating your home. An inexpensive option is to cut crawl space covers from foam board insulation and fasten them in place with duct tape.
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12. Use Heating Tape
This is another great method that you can use for your easily accessible piping systems. Wrapping electrical heating tape onto your plumbing will guarantee the pipe stays warm. Heat tape is ideal for pipes located in exterior or unheated areas, like cold basements or attics.
You have two options to choose from when it comes to heating tape; manual or self-monitoring. With the manual heating tape, you need to plug it in when the heat is required and then unplug it when the pipe is warm enough.
With the self-monitoring heating tape, there’s a sensor that can detect the temperature of the pipe and will turn ON and OFF automatically. This feature makes self-monitoring heat tape the more convenient option.
Whether you are using manual or automatic heating tape or cables, make sure you purchase products that are rated safe for use with plumbing. Look for heating equipment that is approved by independent testing organizations, like Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Also, pay close attention to the installation and operation instructions that are provided by the manufacturers. Some kinds of heat tape are only intended for indoor or outdoor plumbing pipes.
Self-regulating heating cable output will adjust automatically based on the ambient temperature!
This easy to install heat tape comes with a built-in thermostat that turns on at 37°F and off at 50°F. Protect pipes up to 2 inches in diameter.
Add Insulation
Bonus plumbing points if you insulate the pipes after you install the heat tape! Insulating your pipes increases the ability to retain heat improves the efficiency of the heat tape.
Make sure to carefully read the package directions to see if that specific heat tape should be covered with insulation or not.
Similar to other heating systems, there are risks when using electrical heating tape, if not done correctly. Therefore, make sure that you follow all of the safety procedures and instructions provided by the manufacturer when you start to apply the heating tape to your plumbing systems.
13. Use Plumbing Antifreeze
In addition to the waterlines, the drainage system of your home needs protection as well when it comes to harsh winter weather. In extreme cases, you can use nontoxic antifreeze in order to replace the water inside the traps and the drains.
All you have to do is pour it into the drain in order to replace any water that might be in the p-trap so that you can have plumbing that’s freeze-proof.
Plumbing antifreeze is made up of water and propylene glycol. This product is non-toxic and won’t harm the environment when used as directed. There’s no definite freezing point of the plumbing antifreeze; it just turns viscous and thick once the temperature drops.
Plus, it will not evaporate, which makes it perfect for protecting your pipes and preventing sewer odors.
When it comes to toilets, sink drains, and floor drains, you can pour some antifreeze into the fixtures. Don’t forget to run some water through them whenever you’re ready to de-winterize your home.
Its non-toxic, non-hazardous formula is safe around pets and kids and it’s even 100% biodegradable!
Concentrated Antifreeze provides all the strength and protection of regular antifreeze, but with the ability to dilute to your desired burst protection. This antifreeze is safe with copper, brass and plastic plumbing (except acetate).
What To Do If Your Pipes Freeze
Forget to winterize your plumbing? Or did you get caught in a freak snowstorm? What can you do when your pipes do end up freezing?
There are several steps you can take in order to reduce any potential damage and work towards melting the ice blockages. However, before you get to do that, you need to look for symptoms to see if the water system is actually frozen or not. These signs are:
Frosty Pipes
Examine a section of the exposed piping system in order to see if frost has formed on its surface. If there is frost there, then that pipe is probably frozen. Take a look along the entire
Carefully inspect it to see if there are any breaks in the piping or at joints and connection points.
Unusual Smells
If a faucet or drain is emitting strange smells, then it could mean that a drainage pipe is frozen. This happens because strange smells have nowhere to go if the pipes get blocked by ice; hence, they return back to the direction of the house, pee-yew!
No Water
An obvious sign of a frozen water line is when there is little to no running water. When nothing comes out or only a trickle of water is coming out once you turn the faucet on, this means that there’s an ice blockage within the pipe.
Once you are sure that the pipes of your house have frozen, you can start taking different steps in order to thaw them out. Also, you need to be careful when attempting to unfreeze your pipes, because if any of those pipes have burst, it could cause a flood once it’s thawed.
If there are broken pipes, then the best thing would be to turn OFF your main shutoff valve and contact a professional plumber right away.
Where To Begin The Thawing Process
First, you need to find the main valve and make sure that its opening and closing without any issues. This is done to that you can confidently close the valve in case of an emergency flood situation.
The main shutoff valve can usually be found in your backyard, basement, or mechanical room.
Next, you’ll want to inspect your plumbing as best you can for any damaged or broken sections. If your plumbing checks out OK and no pipes are ruptured, then you can proceed to unfreeze your plumbing and get it flowing again!
Now, you need to turn the faucet ON that is suffering from a frozen waterline. This will relieve system pressure and allow the water a place to flow during the thawing process.
The thawing procedure should start close to the faucet you turned on and then work towards tackling the remaining blockage.
Defrost The Faucet First
If you don’t start the thawing process correctly, it could result in the pipe bursting! You should always start to thaw closest to the faucet and work your way back from the plumbing fixture.
This is going to help in making sure that when the ice melts, it’s able to escape from the open faucet. If you start thawing closest to the blockage, the melting ice could get stuck behind the blockage with no way to escape. This will create more pressure within the pipe, increasing the risk that the pipe will rupture.
Once the ice plug inside the pipe starts melting, the water should be able to start flowing through the pipe. The longer the water runs through the pipe, the quicker the rest of the ice will melt.
Thawing Exposed Pipes
If you are able to easily access the frozen pipes, then there are numerous ways through which you can choose to thaw those pipes. You need to apply the heat continuously until the water flow returns to its full strength when leaving the faucet.
Also, don’t use any open flames or extreme heat, like a blow torch or heat gun, in order to thaw frozen pipes. This can not only seriously damage the pipes; it is also a fire hazard. There are safer methods you can use to thaw out exposed pipes.
Hair Dryer
This is one of the easiest methods you can use to thaw a pipe. All you need to do is turn your hair dryer on and directly point the heat towards the frozen pipe, starting with the section that’s closest to the faucet.
However, make sure that you are taking all of the proper precautions while using a hair dryer. Avoid direct contact with water and use a GFCI outlet to plug the hair dryer into.
Heat Lamp Or A Portable Space Heater
You can use a heat lamp or a portable space heater in order to thaw the pipes. Place the appliance so that it’s directing heat towards the frozen pipe.
Because of this indirect heat, the pipes with quickly thaw out. Make sure you are taking all necessary safety measures when working with space heaters. Keep heaters away from standing water and don’t leave them unattended for long periods of time.
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Hot Towels
Hot towels are going to be a slow process to thaw a frozen pipe. You can dip towels in hot water and wrap them around the pipe. This is going to take some time and a lot of boiling water.
Just be carful not to scald yourself with the hot water, ouch!
Electrical Heating Tape
Just like we previously mentioned heating tape to prevent frozen pipes, they can be effective in thawing pipes as well. Through this tape, heat will be distributed directly throughout the pipe it is wrapped on.
You can get the manual heating tape where you plug in and unplug it as needed, so you can control the heat. Or, you can get the heating tape with a sensor that turns off by itself when sufficient heat has been applied to your pipes.
Self-regulating heating cable output will adjust automatically based on the ambient temperature!
This easy to install heat tape comes with a built-in thermostat that turns on at 37°F and off at 50°F. Protect pipes up to 2 inches in diameter.
Caution: Make sure that you’re following all manufacturer’s safety instructions when handling any type of heat source since there’s a risk of fire. Do not leave the devices unattended at any time.
Continue to apply heat until your water pressure and flow are completely restored. Make sure to examine all of the other faucets in your home to see if other pipes are exhibiting any signs that they’re frozen. If a single pipe gets frozen, there’s a higher chance that other pipes might be frozen too.
Thawing Enclosed Pipes
If you’re unable to easily access the frozen pipes, then there are several methods you can try in order to thaw out enclosed pipes.
Turn Up The Heat In Your Home
You can increase the temperature of your home in order to thaw out the frozen pipes. All you need to do is turn up the
Open the affected faucets to relieve pressure buildup inside the pipes and promote the flow of water.
Use Space Heaters To Warm Up The Room
If you are in need of any extra heat, adding a space heater in a room with frozen or almost frozen pipes might do the trick. However, it is not recommended to use a space heater inside a bathroom, but if you absolutely need to use one then plug it into an outlet that has a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter).
Also, don’t use an extension cord for your heater. These cords can’t always handle the amount of power required and can become a safety hazard.
Infrared Lamp
If a frozen pipe is located inside a wall, and you know where it is, then you can try thawing out the blockage by putting an infrared lamp right in front of the area of the wall that contains the pipe. The heat from the infrared lamp will penetrate the wall, allowing the pipe to defrost.
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Cut A Section Out From The Wall
This is sometimes the last resort to thaw a frozen pipe. Cutting a section of drywall out will give you easier access to the frozen pipe. Now you will have all the thawing options that you would have for working with exposed plumbing.
Cut Carefully!
If you are uncertain of what is inside the wall, don’t use power tools to make your cuts. A
The Fastback quick-release utility knife from Milwaukee is the type of tool that you can effectively use wherever you are, at any time of day.
Check For Leaks
Once your thawing process starts to work, the flow of water through your faucets and other plumbing fixtures should slowly be restored. Continue to check your pipes regularly while the water begins to flow.
Inspect for any signs of leakage as the temperature and your flow rate increase. If you believe there’s a leakage, but don’t know where, then you should immediately turn the main water supply off and note the reading that’s being shown on the meter.
With all your faucets and plumbing fixtures in the OFF position, there should be no water used in your home. Turn ON the main valve and see if the meter reading changes at all. You can wait a little while and take a second water meter reading.
If the second reading is higher than the first one, then there’s a leak somewhere in your water supply pipes.
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When To Call The Pros
There are times when you should just call the professionals, particularly when you’re facing a problem that could lead to disastrous consequences in your home.
The Insurance Information Institute states that water damage is the third most expensive cause of property damage, while freezing is the second most frequent cause.
If your frozen pipe is behind a wall and has already burst, you need to call in a plumber right away. Bringing in a professional to examine the leak is very important to lower the risk of more damage and stop the spreading of any mold.
Also, in case you can’t find a pipe’s frozen section or discovered any broken pipes, then turn the main water supply off and contact a professional plumber immediately for help.
Conclusion
Don’t give your plumbing the cold shoulder this winter. Frozen pipes will be a bigger problem if you ignore it. Avoid all of the damage caused by ruptured water lines and keep a close eye on your plumbing when the weather turns chilly.
Preventing your pipes from freezing will save you from having to defrost your plumbing and the potential for some expensive repair bills. That’s one way to beat the winter blues!
Happy Plumbing!
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