How to Keep Your Water Pipes from Freezing in the Winter Time

If you live in a cold climate area and the possibility of your water pipes freezing exists, then you will want to read this article. In this article we will discuss how to keep your water pipes from freezing and thawing frozen water pipes. No one wants to experience a water pipe bursting in their home. A water pipe that has burst can dump hundreds of gallons of water in a short amount of time, causing a considerable amount of damage. There are ways to keep your water pipes from freezing, this is what we will discuss next.

One sure way to eliminate the possibility of your water pipes freezing is to wrap the exposed water pipes with electrical heat tape. You will need to wrap all of the pipes in uninsulated areas and next to exterior walls or in crawl spaces. When you know the weather is due to drop below freezing you can plug-in this electrical heat tape and they will prevent your pipes freezing. If the forecast calls for freezing weather then you can also open the cabinet doors underneath your sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms. This will allow the heat from the rest of the house to migrate into these areas and prevent your water pipes from freezing.

If it’s during a very cold spell you go to open your faucets and only a trickle of water comes out, then your water pipes are most likely frozen. It’s best at this time to turn off your main water to prevent a bursting pipe from flooding your house. If after research you determine that you have no broken pipes and would like to thaw your frozen pipes then there are a few methods that will work. As we talked about earlier in this article, electrical heat tape works great to prevent your pipes from freezing and it also works great for thawing frozen water pipes.

If you have isolated which pipe is actually frozen then you can wrap as much as a pipe as possible with electrical heat tape and plug it in. Make sure you don’t overlap the electrical heat tape. Open all your faucets and turn your main water valve on. When the frozen water pipes begin to thaw the pressure will push the remaining ice through the pipes and you will hear the water begin to flow.

Another way of thawing frozen water pipes is to use an electric hair dryer. Simply begin blowing hot air onto the frozen water pipes working from the faucet back towards the main. Continue this process until water finally starts running out the faucet. You can also place space heaters in the areas where the frozen pipes are located. If you know that you have a frozen water pipe is located behind a wall, then you may have to tear out the drywall in order to thaw this pipe.

So if you live in a cold climate area make sure you take the proper precautions to prevent your water pipes from freezing. If by chance your water pipes do freeze, then hopefully the information you’ve read in this article will help you in thawing your frozen water pipes.