Summer is on its way out and the days are getting shorter. This means nighttime temps will soon dip below freezing, and the Rocky Mountain winter is fast approaching. Cold weather can freeze your plumbing and do a lot of damage to your property. Luckily, though, a little preventative maintenance can do a lot to keep frozen pipes from breaking and flooding your home.
Pipes usually burst because cold temperatures cause ice to develop within the pipe. The ice can cause a blockage in the pipe, which creates an unsafe increase in water pressure. This pressure can cause pipes to burst, which can potentially flood your entire home.
This increased pressure is actually the biggest threat to your pipes, but luckily there are easy preventative remedies. Make sure your pipes are adequately insulated, especially if the pipes run through attics, crawl spaces, or outside walls. Most hardware stores provide insulating tape or sleeves that help protect pipes. A plumber can usually reroute pipes that are particularly at risk. Sealing any holes or cracks in your home’s outside walls can also provide additional insulation. Disconnecting garden hoses from outdoor faucets can prevent those faucets from freezing as well.
During colder months, make sure your home stays heated even when you aren’t there. Setting the thermostat to at least 55 degrees can keep your property warm enough to prevent freeze damage. Keeping cabinet doors under sinks open during cold spells can also help warm air circulate around pipes.
Make sure you know how to shut off your home’s main water supply as well. You can do this by locating and closing the valve on the main water line into your home. If a pipe does burst, closing the main valve is a quick way to prevent additional flooding during an emergency.
One of the best safeguards against frozen pipe damage is to drain your property’s water system. You can do this by shutting off your main water supply and turning on every water fixture in your home until the water stops running. This drains water out of the pipes, preventing the threat of freezing. Draining your water system is especially wise if you will be leaving your home for extended periods of time, or even just when you are concerned about a particularly cold overnight freeze.
If you ever have any problems with frozen pipes, or just need freeze prevention advice, contact Rocky Mountain Catastrophe. We can work with you to help safeguard your property against the weather. If frozen pipe or flood damage has already occurred, we can quickly work to stop any leaks, remove any excess flood water, and repair all the plumbing and water damage to make your home as good as new.
To contact Rocky Mountain Catastrophe, call us 24/7 at 970-531-7308.
For additional info on freeze protection for your home, click here.
