The Ultimate Guide to Preventing Frozen Pipes This Winter

Water expands by about 9 percent when it freezes, and pipes aren't built to handle that kind of pressure. A single frozen and burst pipe can release hundreds of gallons of water into your home before anyone notices, often in a wall or ceiling where the damage isn't visible right away. The good news is that preventing frozen pipes is mostly a matter of a few habits and a bit of preparation before the cold weather really sets in.

Know which pipes are actually at risk

Not every pipe in your home faces the same risk. The ones most likely to freeze are located in unheated or poorly insulated areas:

• Pipes running through crawlspaces, attics, basements, or garages
• Pipes in exterior walls, especially on the north side of the house
• Outdoor faucets (hose bibs) and the pipes feeding them
• Any pipe run along an exterior wall for a bathroom or kitchen addition

Walk through your home once before winter and make a mental note of where these vulnerable sections are. Knowing where the risk is concentrated makes everything else on this list easier to target.

Insulate and protect exposed pipes

Foam pipe sleeves are inexpensive, sold by the length at any hardware store, and take just a few minutes to slide onto exposed pipes in unheated spaces. For pipes in particularly cold or drafty spots, heat tape (a self-regulating electrical wrap) offers an extra layer of protection, though it needs to be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions and plugged into a properly grounded outlet.

Don't forget outdoor faucets, which are one of the most common places for freeze damage because they're directly exposed to outdoor temperatures. Disconnect garden hoses before the first hard freeze, drain the spigot if it has a shutoff valve, and consider an inexpensive foam faucet cover for extra protection.

Seal drafts and manage indoor temperature

Cold air finding its way into a crawlspace or unheated basement is often the real reason pipes freeze in those areas, more so than the pipe itself being unprotected. Seal foundation vents, cover crawlspace openings, and check for gaps around where pipes enter the house from outside. Weatherstripping and expanding foam are usually enough to close up small gaps.

Pipes under kitchen and bathroom sinks, especially on exterior walls, often sit in a small enclosed cabinet with almost no airflow from the rest of the house. On especially cold nights, opening those cabinet doors lets warmer room air circulate around the pipes, which can be enough to keep them above freezing. Keeping the thermostat set to a consistent temperature, even overnight or while you're away, matters just as much.

Let faucets drip on the coldest nights

When temperatures are forecast to drop well below freezing, letting a faucet fed by a vulnerable pipe drip slightly relieves pressure in the line. Moving water is also harder to freeze than still water, so a slow, steady drip from both the hot and cold sides can make a real difference on the coldest nights of the year.

A quick pre-winter checklist

• Insulate exposed pipes in crawlspaces, attics, and garages
• Seal drafts and gaps around foundation vents and pipe entry points
• Disconnect hoses and cover outdoor faucets
• Know where your main water shutoff valve is, just in case
• Keep the thermostat set to a consistent temperature, even when you're away

When prevention isn't enough

Even with good prevention habits, an unusually severe cold snap or an older home with hidden vulnerable pipes can still lead to freezing. If a pipe does freeze, or worse, if you find one that's already burst, time matters. ProFlow Plumbing can help you winterize vulnerable areas before the cold hits, and we're ready to respond quickly if a pipe does freeze or fail. Give us a call at (555) 010-4477 to get ahead of the season instead of reacting to it.