Snow-covered winter weather offers a fun day sledding down the neighborhood hill or snowball fights in the neighbor's yard. That being said, winter weather can be hard on your home. Extremely cold conditions can cause the water lines in your plumbing to freeze and burst, which can lead to serious water damage and lasting negative effects.

When your pipes are frozen solid, you might need to hire a plumber in Florissant and St. Charles to resolve the issue. That being said, there’s a lot you can perform on your own to prevent this from happening – and even minor prevention can go a long way.

What Pipes Are at a Higher Chance of Freezing

The pipes at the greatest risk of freezing are uncovered water lines. Prevalent locations for uncovered pipes are in attic crawlspaces, near exterior walls, in the basement or even running under a modular home. Water lines that are not correctly insulated are at the highest risk.

How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing Over in Your Home

Thoroughly insulating uncovered water lines is a solid first step to keeping your pipes safe. You’ll generally have access to lots of these materials from a local plumbing company, and could also already have some inside your home.

Be careful not to wrap up other flammable insulation materials where they may light on fire. If you don’t feel safe insulating the pipes yourself, call your local plumbing services professional in Florissant and St. Charles to get the job done right.

If you do decide to insulate the pipes by yourself, popular insulation materials for pipes include:

  • Wraps or roll insulation: Lots of plumbers, hardware stores and national retailers offer insulation – commonly fiberglass, foam wraps or pipe sleeves – that you can use to cover or fit around your pipes. They are supplied in various lengths and sizes to satisfy the needs of your home.
  • Newspaper: To some degree, newspaper can be used for insulation. If the weather is getting colder and you aren’t able to buy insulation in time, wrap uninsulated pipes in this.
  • Towels or rags: If you don't have the chance to buy insulation and don’t have any newspaper handy, wrapping particularly vulnerable pipes with towels or clean rags as a last-ditch effort may be just enough to keep the cold air away from the pipes.

One other preventative step you can try to stop pipes from freezing in your home is to seal up any cracks that may let cold air into your home. Pay close attention to window frames, which can let in surprisingly strong drafts. Not only should this help to keep your pipes from freezing, but it will have the additional benefit of making your home more energy efficient.

Five More Ways to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing:

  • Open the cabinet doors. Opening the cabinet doors underneath the sinks and other rooms of your home that have pipes will permit more warm air from the rest of the room to flow near the pipes.
  • Letting water drip. Keeping the water flowing by letting your faucets drip even a small amount can help prevent frozen pipes.
  • Open interior doors. By opening doors in rooms or hallways, your home can be heated more equally. This is especially important if there's a room that is frequently colder or hotter than the remainder of your home.
  • Close the garage door. The exception to the open doors advice is the garage door, which you should keep closed – especially if your water lines can be found near or under the garage.
  • Keep the heat consistent. Experts recommend setting the thermostat at a persistent temperature and leaving it alone, rather than letting it get cooler at night. Set it no colder than 55 degrees.

How to Keep Pipes from Freezing in a Vacant Home

When you’re in your own home, it’s not difficult to recognize when something breaks down. But what added steps can you take to prevent pipes from freezing in an unused home or vacation home when the damages from a frozen pipe might not be discovered for a while?

As with a primary residence, adding insulation to any exposed water lines, opening interior doors throughout the home and winterizing the vacant home are the first steps to attempt first.

Other Steps to Stop Pipes from Freezing in a Vacant Home:

  1. Leave the heat on. Even though you won't always be home, it’s best to leave the heat on – even if you turn the thermostat down lower than you would if you were there. As with a primary residence, experts encourage keeping the temperature at no lower than 55 degrees.
  2. Shut water off and drain the lines. If you’re going to be away for several weeks or are winterizing a seasonal cabin or cottage, turning the water off to the house and clearing the water out of the water lines is a good way to stop pipes from freezing and breaking. Don’t forget to drain the water out of your appliances, such as the hot water heater, or the toilets. Confirm you empty all the water from the system. If you’re unsure of how to clear out the water from the pipes, or don’t feel comfortable handling it without any help, a plumber in Florissant and St. Charles will be happy to offer support.