What To Do For Frozen Pipes

Have frozen pipes in the house?

With freezing cold temperatures, it's important that you don't lose water flow, so here are some tips to avoid frozen pipes in the house.

5 Things To Keep Pipes From Freezing

#1. Learn Where Your Shut-Off Valve Is

Most homes have a whole-home shut-off valve; some are inside the house, but most will be outside the house in the yard. You'll want to locate it, and use your meter key to test turning it off and on, to verify its working properly. Mark the location of your meter with a flag or other identifying mark, so that you can still locate it easily in the snow. This is very important to know if you do in fact get a leak.

#2. Keep Your Faucets Dripping

This is the most common one and easiest thing you could do. It’s not much water usage, but flowing water is much more unlikely to freeze than still water. So set your faucets to just a steady drip or slow stream.

#3. Cover Exterior Faucets

Most homes have one or two places outside that you attach a water hose to. Be sure to disconnect the hose and cover the spout with a faucet cover. There are different kinds, but you can get one of these covers for $2-$5 at your local hardware store.

#4. Insulate /Add Heat

Pipes likely won’t freeze if they are getting heat from the air around them. This is as simple as opening up cabinet doors. You just want to make sure that heat is able to reach those pipes under sinks and appliances. If you have exposed pipes, like in an attic or crawl space, you may consider insulating your pipes. Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Supplies used for insulation and heat cables can be found at your local hardware store.

#5. Reach Out To The Experts

At Half Moon Plumbing, we’d be glad to answer any questions that you have. If you do see that you are not getting flowing water, you don’t have a plumbing problem – you have a heat problem. You’ve got to keep the pipes warm enough for water to flow through them. Unfortunately, once the water is flowing again, the freezing and thawing process often reveals leaks within a system – but don’t worry, that we can help with!So that’s 5 things you can do to keep your pipes safe during freezing temperatures. Reach out to us with any questions. Stay safe. 

"My pipes are frozen, and I don't know what to do!"

#1. Locate the water shut-off valve

Your house, like most, should have a main line shut-off valve, usually located outside the home. Locate the meter and test the valve using a meter key to verify it's operating correctly. It is important that you can find this location again even in the snow, so you may want to mark it with a flag or something that will stick out of the ground to make it easy to locate. If you do experience a leak, you may need to know where and how to shut the water off to prevent further damage.

#2. Check Each Faucet To Identify Where It Is Frozen

Sometimes a frozen pipe affects just one specific area or line, and other times affects the whole home at a main line. To identify where it is frozen, check each faucet to see where it is frozen. If all lines are frozen, make sure that you do not leave all the faucets open. When the water begins to flow again, too much water entering the drains system at the same time could lead to other issues.

#3. Open A Faucet That Does Not Have Water Flow

Once you identify where you do not have water flow, open the faucet and keep an eye on it so you know when water flow resumes.

#4. Add Concentrated Heat To Affected Areas

Next, you don't need a plumber; you just need heat. For crawl spaces or garages, you can use large fuel-powered heaters. For inside your house, you can use smaller space heaters, hair dryers, etc... The main caution you should take is to not leave a heater unattended. DO NOT start a fire.

#5. Once Water Is Flowing Again, Keep An Eye Out For Leaks

Once the pipe is thawed and you have water flowing again, that is when most leaks start. Keep an eye out for leaks, and if you do notice any issues, we'd be happy to help.

Call us at Half Moon Plumbing - 918-205-2487.