Remember in the winter when your parents would turn on the faucets to let the sinks drip? They did this to avoid freezing pipes. Everyone knows that trick. You might have even tried it as an adult. It turns out that letting water drip in your sinks during the wintertime when temperatures drop below freezing is not just an old wives’ tale. While it does help prevent pipes from freezing during extremely cold winter temperatures, it isn’t foolproof, and it doesn’t always prevent pipes from bursting. What might help more than dripping is talking to a plumber about your property. You can schedule a preventative maintenance plumbing check-up even before the weather drops to freezing, thanks to your friends at Lorenz Plumbing, Heating and Air!
You should also pay special attention to the northwest corner of your house. You might notice this is where your home is the coldest. That’s because winds tend to come from the northwest. The rooms closest to this location are often chillier than the rest of the house. If you have a bathroom located there, chances are higher that your pipes could freeze when temperatures drop. Keep an eye on these rooms, and should problems arise, call a professional HVAC company like us. If pipes freezing and bursting during the winter become a common problem in your home, you might consider insulating your pipes as a preventative measure.
Missouri weather can be unpredictable and sometimes we do everything we can to plan for it, though that is a struggle when temperatures drop out of nowhere. Here's a comprehensive list of five suggestions to help you prevent your pipes from freezing in cold weather:
What if you drip those pipes and watch the cold rooms, but they still freeze? Freezing increases the chances of a pipe bursting. Know where your water shut-off valve is in advance. That way, if water starts pouring, you know where to go to turn it off before it does more unnecessary and expensive damage to your home. The water line that enters your home typically has a valve that can be manually shut off. If you can’t find that water line, there’s a second option. Find the ground-level box near your street. There will be a meter there. You can turn off your water at that location as well. It’s better to know where it is before you are in crisis, to prevent the situation from getting out of control later on. Remember, once that frozen pipe thaws out, it can continue spraying water everywhere if it is not turned off.
There are some things you can do if your pipes freeze and you have no accessible water. Caution—be careful and gentle with these suggestions. Too much force or heat can cause damage, create unnecessary expenses, and trigger mold growth. Here are four ideas to thaw your pipes if they freeze:
We can’t control the crazy Missouri weather, but maybe you can bypass freezing and bursting problems by calling for a plumbing maintenance checkup in advance. But if you’ve tried everything and those pipes still freeze or burst, it might be time to call your friends at Lorenz. The team at Lorenz Plumbing, Heating and Air will tell you the truth.
When they say, “We’re your friends at Lorenz,” they really mean it. Locally owned and operated, Lorenz knows this area well and is equipped to give you an honest quote to fix your plumbing or HVAC issue.
Call your friends at Lorenz for a bid and an honest assessment.
