How to Keep Your Home’s Pipes from Freezing

January 15, 2018 7:01 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Out of all the plumbing problems you can have in your home, frozen and burst pipes are by far some of the worst issues! A burst pipe can cause as much as $5,000 in damage, and that’s not including any damage to your irreplaceable items. Pipes in unheated and uninsulated areas, like your crawlspace, are most at risk during these frigid winter months, but even pipes under your kitchen and bathroom sinks can freeze if it’s cold enough. Thankfully, there’s some advice you can follow from a custom home builder in Syracuse, IN to avoid encountering freezing pipes this winter:

  • Insulation is key: A quick stop to your local hardware store can do wonders to prevent freezing pipes this winter. Buy batts of fiberglass insulation to further insulate areas of your home that may not have enough insulation, like your crawlspace, basement, attic or garage. You can also buy pipe insulation for as little as 50 cents per linear foot! Spending a little money now will save you thousands down the road.
  • Keep garage doors closed: Make sure your garage door stays down this winter unless you’re entering or leaving your home! This is especially important if you have water supply lines running through your garage.
  • Run water: Before you go to bed at night, make sure a trickle of water is running through your faucets. Moving water will help ensure the pipes don’t freeze and you aren’t stuck paying an arm and a leg for repairs.
  • Open bathroom and kitchen cabinets: Open up the cabinets under your sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms. Warm air circulating around the pipes will help ensure they don’t freeze up. This is especially important for any sinks that are on an exterior wall of your home. The interior sinks will hold up much better than exteriors.
  • Keep your thermostat at the same temperature: A lot of people like to turn their heat up when they’re awake and down at night when they’re asleep because it saves money on the electric bill. Unfortunately, that technique could lead to frozen pipes. A sudden cold snap in the middle of the night could instantly freeze your pipes if your house isn’t warm enough!
  • Leave your heat on when away: It may kill you to keep your furnace running when you’re out of the house, but it’s a major key if you don’t want your pipes to freeze! Sure, your heating bill might be a little higher in the winter, but that’s a whole lot nicer than paying to fix a burst pipe. Keep your thermostat set to no lower than 55 degrees, even if you plan on being away for an extended period of time. There’s no sense in paying thousands of dollars to fix a frozen pipe just to save a few bucks on your heating bill next month.

Stay warm throughout the winter and adhere to the advice above. With the help of a custom home builder in Syracuse, IN, you’ll make it through the winter!

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