There’s no doubt that winters in Indianapolis, IN can be quite harsh. From large amounts of snow to freezing rain and ice, the weather can take a toll on your home. One of the biggest impacts it can have is freezing your water supply lines. We’re going to discuss how to avoid this situation below to save yourself the hassle of extensive water damage and the need for major plumbing repairs.
What’s the Problem With Frozen Pipes?
When the subject of frozen pipes comes up, it can be easy to think that it’s not a big deal. If your water line freezes, it provides the slight inconvenience of not being able to use your water until the ice thaws. But if frigid weather lasts for days on end, not having fresh water for things like drinking, cleaning, and bathing can be very irritating.
Beyond the lack of fresh water in your home, frozen pipes can create other problems. As water freezes, it expands. Because water is stuck inside your piping lines, it will start to expand whenever it turns into ice. This can lead to permanent distortion of your water supply lines and weaken their structural integrity. In severe cases, the pipe can actually crack.
While you may not notice it while the pipe is frozen, as soon as the ice thaws, water will start leaking from the crack. This can create a lot of water damage in your home, especially if you’re not there when the line fails and you’re not able to stop the water supply going to it. Having frozen pipes can lead to a series of unfortunate events, but fortunately there are various things that you can do to help prevent this from happening in the first place.
Keep Your Heat On
When you know that you’re going to be away from home for an extended period of time, you may be tempted to simply shut off your heater to save money on energy bills. This isn’t a great idea, as it can allow your home to get so cold that your pipes can freeze up. Instead, set the thermostat to a temperature where your heating system will keep your home warm enough to prevent frozen pipes. Ideally, you should never set your thermostat below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shut Off the Water Supply Outdoors
It’s common for homeowners to have water lines going to the outside of their homes for different applications. Some of the most common include outdoor kitchens, hose bibbs, and irrigation systems. Lines that connect to the outdoors can easily freeze when the temperature outside gets well below freezing. It’s best to simply shut off the water supply to all these outdoor locations and drain the pipe so that there’s no water left in it.
If you don’t have a drain for sections of pipes leading outdoors, then opt for leaving the faucet outside in the open position. This will give the water space to move into when it starts to freeze. Since the ice will be able to thaw and be pushed out of the faucet, it’s less likely to cause distortion to your piping.
Insulate Your Piping
One of the best steps that you can take to help protect your pipes from the cold weather is to insulate them. There are many different types of piping insulation that you can use, with Styrofoam being one of the most common. It is easy to apply a Styrofoam cover over all your exposed piping. In areas where you cannot slide a cover over the piping, you may want to consider using spray foam insulation. While insulation is great for helping to prevent freezing, it can also help your hot water line to retain more of its heat.
Use Heat Cables Where Necessary
If you have any water lines that run through an unheated area of your home, such as your garage, you may want to consider installing a heat cable. This is a thermostat attached to a cable that wraps around the pipe. Most of these cables are powered by electricity. Whenever the thermostat senses that the temperature is dropping close to freezing, it will turn on the heating cable to warm the water line and prevent it from freezing.
Allow Hot Air Circulation in Enclosed Areas
It’s common for plumbing pipes to be run behind walls to provide more protection for them and enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home. Unfortunately, any piping that’s hidden in an enclosed area won’t have access to adequate hot air from your home’s heating system. When temperatures start to get very cold outside, it’s important to open up those enclosed areas to allow for adequate circulation. These locations typically include the areas under your sinks and even access panels for your shower valves.
Let a Faucet Drip Water
When temperatures start to dip into the negative range, leave one of your faucets dripping because moving water is much harder to freeze than water that is standing still. Choose a faucet that is the farthest away from your main water supply, as it will keep the majority of the water in your home moving through the line. All that’s needed is a small drip to maintain that constant motion.
Deal With the Inevitable Frozen Pipe
Sometimes it just gets so cold that your pipes freeze no matter what you do to protect them. When this happens, it’s important to respond appropriately to minimize the amount of damage to your home. One of the best things to start with is shutting off the water supply to that area.
If a lot of the piping throughout your home is frozen, shut off the main water supply valve. However, if only a small section of your piping is frozen, just shut off the closest supply valve. This will still allow you to use water at other plumbing fixtures in your home while preventing excess flow to the frozen area.
Next, turn on the faucet or shower, depending on whatever fixture is next on the line. The idea is that you can allow any excess water to escape from the faucet once the pipe thaws out. This can be helpful in the event that your line does have a leak in it. You can use heat to thaw out your pipes faster.
However, you need to be careful with the source of heat that you use. Use something like a heat gun or a hair dryer. Avoid using anything with an open flame, like a candle or butane torch. If you heat the pipe too much, you can cause distortion and permanent damage to the piping.
Expert Plumbing Repair Service
Hope Plumbing offers expert plumbing repairs and other plumbing services for the Indianapolis area. We can also assist with all your heating, air conditioning, plumbing, drain, and sewer needs. Call us today to book your next service consultation.
