Six Ways To Prevent Water Pipes From Freezing
- Insulate any and all pipes that are vulnerable to cold air. This can be done by
using standard insulation material or through the use of Underwriters Laboratories
(UL listed) approved heat tapes. Wrapping your pipes helps keep the warmth in and
the freezing cold out.
- Keep your heat on. If you go on vacation or will be away, don't turn your heat off.
It's not necessary to run it as high as you would if you were at home, but keeping
the heat inside in the 60s will help you keep the pipes warm.
- Keep cabinet and closet doors open. When you leave your heat on to keep your pipes
warm, a good way of helping the interior heat reach your pipes is to leave closet
and cabinet doors open.
- Keep water moving to prevent it from freezing. Keep a faucet or faucets open slightly
to keep water moving in the pipes. Ideally, the faucet(s) you leave on should be
farthest from where the water main enters. That way, you keep water moving through
all your pipes.
- Cut the water supply to outdoor faucets. In the colder months, it's a good idea
to cut off the water and completely drain them.
- Shut off the water if you go away. If you're only going away from home for a few
days or more, you may want to shut off your water and drain your supply by opening
the lowest faucet in the house.
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