Frozen Pipes, Be Gone!

In my house, frozen is a synonym for fast, quick, and edible. For millions of residents of the Northeast, frozen means only one thing — trouble. With bone-chilling temperatures sweeping the country this week, many homeowners very nervous about the prospect of their pipes exploding.

Sadly, this fear is a reality for many.  Each year, 25 million American families have one or more rooms in their home flooded and their lives disrupted because of pipes that freeze and break, according to State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, sprinkler lines, and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets.

If you’re stuck inside, worrying that frozen pipes are going to get the best of you, here are a few precautionary steps to protect your home:

1. Disconnect all outdoor hoses. If possible, shut off the supply to the outside tap then turn on the faucet to let any water already in the line drain out.

2. Remember that pipes usually freeze when they are closest to outside walls. The most susceptible to freezing are those running through unheated areas such as crawl spaces or inside vanities against outside walls. Turn on the cold tap slightly so water trickles continuously.

3. If you leave your house for an extended time during the winter, don’t turn your heating system all the way off. Set the thermostat at about 60 degrees and make sure all the storm windows are sealed tight to keep the heat in. Open the doors of all vanities so warm air circulates around the pipes under your sinks.

4. Install insulating wraps for water pipes near outside walls.

5. Put on some socks, chill out (pun intended), and grab a travel magazine. Today, in Honolulu, Hawaii, it’s 81 degrees.