Plumbing Tips: How to Deal with Frozen Pipes

Picture this. It’s the middle of November on a Sunday morning, and you’re deep in a Pennsylvania freeze. Go figure. 

You turn on the water, but nothing comes out. Frozen pipe. Maybe it’s your first home, or you’re new to the area. Or perhaps you’re in a new house and didn’t realize you had an exposed pipe. 

With some basic preparation, you can prevent this problem.

The best way to deal with freezing pipes is to prevent them in the first place.

The easiest step to take is simply to add insulation around areas with piping. The insulation will keep the pipes warmer, preventing any incidents in the future. You can also consider buying a pipe sleeve or similar product to prevent pipe freezing. 

Other things you can do to prevent pipes from freezing include: 

• Keeping the temperature of your house above 55 degrees to prevent freezing of pipelines when you go on vacation or leave for a few days. When you are home, make an effort to keep the home temperature the same at all hours to avoid a rapid temperature change, which could result in a frozen pipe.

• Insulate pipes in crawl spaces and the attic. Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. The more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.

• A trickle of hot and cold water may keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, ideally from a faucet on an outside wall.

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