Don't Fall Behind On Plumbing Maintenance
Cool autumn weekends are ideal for catching up on home maintenance projects
that were better avoided during the dog days of summer. One item that should be
on every homeowner’s “to do” list is protecting your home’s plumbing system from
cold temperatures, which can cause pipes to freeze and burst. Frozen pipes aren’t just a problem in the North. Houses in warmer climates
are also at risk because they typically don’t have sufficient insulation to
weather sudden winter cold snaps. And despite some claims to the contrary, all
plumbing materials -- including plastic pipe -- are at risk of damage from
freezing when temperatures plummet
Preventing ’Pipesicles’
Exposed plumbing in unheated basements, crawl spaces, attics and garages is
most at risk for freezing, according to Andy Kireta, Jr., national program
manager for building construction with the Copper Development Association (CDA).
Copper tubing, which is used to distribute fresh water in the vast majority of
America’s homes, can withstand expansion from freezing several times before
bursting. Tests show that water filling a 1/2-inch-diameter annealed copper tube
may freeze as many as six times, and 2-inch pipe up to 11 times, without causing
damage. However, this does not mean homeowners should allow their water lines to
be subjected to freezing.
Plumbing
freezes often occur when a home’s water supply is inactive -- for example,
overnight when people in the house are sleeping, or when everyone is away from
home on vacation. The water that is always present in your pipes will freeze
when exposed long enough to frigid temperatures. This is bad news for plumbing
because extreme cold makes materials brittle and liquid expands when it freezes,
a dangerous combination that can cause all types of plumbing tube to crack or
burst open, spilling water everywhere. Fortunately, there are solutions to help
prevent pipes from freezing. These include the following:
- Wait for a windy day and do a thorough inspection of your home (especially
the basement) to determine where air is getting in. Wherever you find gaps,
apply inexpensive caulking compound to seal small leaks or use expanding
aerosol foam insulation for larger openings. If you can feel the wind blow in
a ventilated crawl space or attic, apply insulation only around the pipes to
avoid trapping moisture in these areas.
- Local home centers and hardware stores sell pipe insulation sleeves that
protect plumbing tube from the cold. Buy the proper sizes matched to the
diameters of the pipes you need to protect. (Plumbers caution that pipes can
still freeze with these products, so make sure you’ve also plugged any leaks
where cold air is entering the house.)
- For plumbing elbows, where two pieces of pipe join together at a 90-degree
angle, wrap fiberglass insulation around the pipe and secure with duct tape.
(This is an important area to protect because freeze breaks frequently happen
at joints, elbows and tees.)
- If your kitchen sink is located on an outside wall, leave cabinet doors
under the sink open during cold spells to help keep pipes warm. A layer of
foam insulation board fitted tightly against the back wall of the cabinet will
also keep the cold from seeping through to the pipes.
- Make sure you don’t leave any windows open in a basement near exposed
pipes.
Before temperatures drop, you should also disconnect and drain garden hoses,
as well as swimming pool and lawn sprinkler water supply lines, and shut off the
water supply to all outdoor water spigots. The water shutoff valve for outdoor
spigots is located inside the house -- usually in a basement or crawl space.
Leave the spigots open to drain any water that may be in the line.
If you are looking for a Tri County plumber, please call us today at 610.624.3605 or complete our online request form.
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