It’s winter here in the midwest and temperatures have plunged below freezing more than a few times this year. At Mayes Plumbing, we know that a couple days of extreme cold can cause problems with plumbing fixtures and pipes. The most important thing to do is to protect your pipes during these cold winter months.
To Avoid Frozen Pipes:
- wrap pipes that are in your basement or crawl-space with heat tape or an insulated sleeve
- if your water heater is in a cold space (ie: basement), you might consider purchasing a insulated sleeve to put over it
- make sure all your heating vents are open and not blocked
- keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets, mostly near unheated and unprotected spots
- keep cabinet and pantry doors open to allow the warm air to circulate around pipes
- make sure to keep your thermostat at an even temperature, above at least 55℉
What To Do If Pipes Freeze:
- locate where the pipe is frozen
- keep faucets open (running water will help melt ice)
- if able, try to apply heat to the pipe using a heating pad, hair dryer, or portable space heater
IMPORTANT: You should know where the main shut-off is especially during extreme cold months when frozen pipes occur. If pipes burst, you need to turn off your main water supply immediately.
Fun Fact of the Month – Standardized plumbing can be traced back to 3,000 B.C. when the Indus River Valley civilization used earthen plumbing pipes to provide transportable water and drain wastes.
