The snowy winter weather brings a fun day sledding down a nearby hill or snowball fights in the neighbor’s yard. That being said, winter weather can be difficult on your home. Excessively cold conditions can encourage the water lines in your plumbing to freeze and burst, which could lead to significant water damage and lasting negative effects.

If your pipes are frozen, you should hire a plumber in Fredericksburg to resolve the issue. That being said, there’s multiple things you can perform on your own to prevent this from happening – and even a little prevention can go a long way.

What Pipes Are at Risk of Freezing

The pipes at the greatest risk of freezing are uninsulated water lines. Frequent locations for uninsulated pipes are within attic crawlspaces, near exterior walls, in the basement or even running under a modular home. Water lines that are not appropriately insulated are at the highest risk.

How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing in Your Home

Sufficiently insulating uncovered water lines is a great first step to keeping your pipes free of ice. You’ll often locate most of these materials from a local plumbing company, and may also already have some inside your home.

Be mindful not to cover other flammable insulation materials where they can catch fire. If you don’t feel safe insulating the pipes yourself, contact your local plumbing services professional in Fredericksburg to get the job done right.

If you do prefer to insulate the pipes yourself, popular insulation materials for pipes are:

  • Wraps or roll insulation: Most plumbers, hardware stores and national retailers sell insulation – typically fiberglass, foam wraps or pipe sleeves – that you can use to wrap or fit around your pipes. They are supplied in different lengths and sizes to fit the needs of your home.
  • Newspaper: In a pinch, newspaper can be used as an insulator. If the weather is getting colder and you aren’t able to put in more insulation in time, consider covering uninsulated pipes in this.
  • Towels or rags: If you aren’t able to install insulation and don’t have any newspaper close by, wrapping particularly vulnerable pipes with towels or clean rags as a final effort could be just enough to keep the cold air off the pipes.

Another preventative step you can attempt to prevent pipes from freezing in your home is to seal up any cracks that may permit cold air into your home. Pay close attention to window frames, which can draw in surprisingly strong drafts. This not only will help to stop your pipes from freezing, but it will have the added benefit of making your home more energy efficient.

Five More Ways to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing:

  • Open the cabinet doors. Opening the cabinet doors underneath the sinks and other rooms of your home with pipes will permit more warm air from the rest of the room to flow near the pipes.
  • Letting water drip. Keeping the water flowing by letting your faucets trickle even a small amount can help thwart frozen pipes.
  • Open interior doors. By opening doors in rooms or hallways, your home can be heated more evenly. This is especially important if you have a room that tends to be colder or hotter than other rooms.
  • Close the garage door. The exception to the open doors recommendation is the garage door, which you should keep closed – namely if your water lines can be found near or under the garage.
  • Keep the heat consistent. Experts encourage setting the thermostat at a constant temperature and leaving it there, rather than letting it get lower at night. Set it no lower than 55 degrees.

How to Stop Pipes from Freezing in an Empty Home

When you’re inside a house, it’s easy to realize when something isn’t right. But what additional steps can you take to stop pipes from freezing in an empty home or vacation home when the damage from a frozen pipe might not be discovered for a while?

As with your primary residence, adding insulation to any exposed water lines, opening interior doors in the home and winterizing the vacant home are the basic steps to try at first.

Alternative Steps to Prevent Pipes from Freezing in an Unused Home:

  1. Leave the heat on. Even though you aren’t going to be there, it’s best to leave the heat on – even if you turn the thermostat down lower than you would if you were there. As with a primary house, experts encourage keeping the temperature at no lower than 55 degrees.
  2. Shut water off and drain the lines. If you’re going to be away for an extended period of time or are winterizing a rustic cabin or cottage, shutting the water off to the house and emptying the water out of the water lines is one way to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting. Don’t forget to flush the water out of all appliances, including the hot water heater, and the toilets. Confirm you empty all the water from the pipes. If you’re uncertain of how to drain the water from the pipes, or don’t feel confident performing it yourself, a plumber in Fredericksburg will be delighted to step in.