Guest Blogger: How to Winterize your Pipes to Prevent Freezing

Guest Blogger #255, Entry #760, November 14, 2011

The winter months loom ahead which means plummeting temperatures, frost on the ground and chattering teeth. The sub-zero temperatures can cause significant problems for the home, one of the more severe consequences being freezing pipes. When a pipe freezes it expands and ultimately could burst, flooding the home. This can have devastating superficial and structural damage and even cause floors to rot and collapse, which would be extortionate to rectify.

Protect your plumbing this winter

Image via: Bathroom Designs Pictures

Seasonal maintenance of the plumbing system is mandatory if you want to avoid freezing pipes. The best time to begin thinking about winterizing the home is autumn/fall in preparation for the inevitable temperature plummets which are to follow.

Location of pipes

Some pipes are more susceptible to freezing due to their positioning in the home. Particular care needs to be taken for exterior pipes which will be subjected to the harshest of temperatures. However, even if the home is above zero some interior pipes will require insulation, especially if central heating doesn’t get used overnight while people sleep or the house is vacant. Pipes which are situated in the garage, attic or run along un-insulated walls are more likely to freeze.

Foam insulation tubes can be fitted to individual pipes as a preventative measure for interior pipes. For pipes which are adjacent to exterior walls fiberglass insulation can be placed between the exterior wall and pipe to prevent the pipe being subjected to harsh temperatures. Cavity wall insulation can also help to increase the heat efficiency and trap warm air, particularly useful for pipes which run along exterior walls.

Ensure your pipes are kept trickling to prevent freezing

Image via: Diylife

How to prevent freezing

For particularly cold days, bathrooms suites and kitchen taps can help to prevent the freezing of pipes. Simply keep the water flowing through the taps on all levels of the home as the continuous flow of helps to prevent the pipes from freezing.

For seasonal homes which won’t be in use during the winter months, or if you’re going on a winter holiday it may be wise to drain your pipes. This ensures no water sits in them during the colder months making them unable to freeze and burst. Draining the pipes is a rather simple task, simply turn off the water supply at the mains and run all water outlets, including every unit in all of the bathroom suites in the home and wait for them to run completely dry. This ensures you have no stagnant water waiting to wreak havoc with your plumbing system!

Ensuring pipes don’t freeze over is incredibly important as we rely on the constant supply through our plumbing system. Prevention measures are all fairly easy tasks which are definitely worth the effort in the long run. It’s particularly important to carry out such prevention methods in older homes which may not be insulated as thoroughly as newer homes.

Written by Stephanie Staszko for Bathshop321. You can catch Steph talking about home improvement on Twitter, drop her a line @StephStaz

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