One of the most precarious plumbing emergencies you can encounter as a homeowner is a burst pipe. Whether it is one of your main water lines or worse yet a sewer line, you will be at risk of extreme property devastation. Thus, it is important to know how best to protect your pipes. However, before you can act appropriately, the first thing you need to know is what puts you at risk of your pipes bursting. In general, there are three main reasons why your pipes will burst – corroded plumbing, extreme water pressure and water freezing inside the plumbing. This article illustrates a few ways that you can reduce your risk of acquiring a burst pipe caused by frozen water.
Supplementary insulation for your hardware
One of the first line of defense that you can take against frozen pipes is ensuring your home is well insulated. Nevertheless, it is not advisable to limit this insulation to the structure alone. Plumbing pipes are typically installed in areas that keep them out of sight for aesthetic purposes, but inadvertently easily expose them to changing temperatures. For example, hardware that is installed in crawl spaces and other infrequently sued areas may not have the same degree of insulation as the commonly used areas of your home. It is prudent to invest in supplementary insulation for the hardware itself to mitigate the risk of freezing. Insulated sleeves are an affordable solution as they can quickly be installed over the plumbing pipes that are located in the colder parts of your residence.
Maintain a slow drip in your faucets
A dripping faucet is never something homeowners want in their home, as it almost always is indicative of a leak. Nonetheless, there are some occasions where it would be mandatory to have your taps dripping. If you plan to go away on holiday during the winter, maintaining a slow drip could mean the difference between functioning plumbing or coming back to a burst pipe. And although it may go against all your instincts of maintaining a level of frugality, this approach can end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long run. By letting your taps drip during the winter, you prevent pressure from building up inside the hardware. Resultantly, this minimises the risk of the pipes bursting. Secondly, maintaining a slow drip also function to ensure water does not become frozen inside the pipes, which also helps in keeping your pipes intact.
