To keep your holidays merry, make sure you follow these handy tips from Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration to keep your pipes from freezing before the cold weather sets in! Frozen pipes are one of the biggest risks of property damage when the temperature drops and can leave you without water in the worst of weather. Thirty-seven percent of all frozen pipe failures occur in a basement. A frozen pipe can lead to pipes bursting and result in more than five thousand dollars in water damage. Pipe insulation can cost as little as fifty cents per linear foot, which can help prevent your pipes from freezing. Thirty-two degrees is the freezing point for water, so it’s imperative to keep your home above this temperature. If temperatures do stay below freezing for a consistent period, then:
- Keep water working
- Keep water moving through the pipes by allowing a small trickle of water to run.
- Give pipes a helping hand
- If pipes run through cabinets or vanities, open the doors to let warmer room temperatures flow in.
- If your pipes do freeze, thaw pipes with warm air
- You can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming the air around it with a hair dryer or space heater.
- Shut off the water immediately
- Do not attempt to thaw pipes without turning off the main shut-off valve.
- Be careful turning water back on
- Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on, and check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that might have been caused by freezing.
To prevent frozen pipes, let your hot and cold faucets drip overnight and open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks on exterior walls. Locate the water shut-off valve in your home in advance of a water emergency, so you know where to go if a pipe bursts. Disconnect garden hoses and, if practical, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets.
- Check sprinkler or irrigation systems
- Make sure you have turned everything off and fully drained the system.
- Identify your home’s freezing points
- Check your plumbing system for pipes in areas that might be prone to freezing, such as crawl spaces, unheated rooms, basements, garages and exterior walls.
- Know how to shut off your water
- Locate your main water shut-off valve. You may want to tag or label it, so you don’t have to search for it in an emergency.
- Strengthen your defenses
- Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by closing off crawl spaces, fixing drafty windows, insulating walls and attics, and plugging drafts around doors.
- Protect your pipes
- Where pipes are exposed to cold, wrap them with insulation or electrical pipe heater – even fabric or newspaper can help!
If temperatures stay below freezing for a consistent period, you can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming the air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Shut off the water immediately – Don’t attempt to thaw pipes without turning off the main shut-off valve. Be careful turning water back on – Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that might have been caused by freezing.
Space heaters cause one-third of home fires and four out of five home heating fires deaths. Do not place a space heater within three feet of anything combustible. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
It’s a winter wonderland…Frosty…frigid…freezing…A myriad of words can be used to describ the cold of winter—and there’s one solution that offers relief from them all—a new heating system! We’re pleased to carry some of the most energy-efficient systems in our industry, so you can stay warm throughout the cold winter months without putting a freeze on your bank account. We offer FREE estimates and FREE second opinions to make it easier for you to find the best unit for your home. We also assist customers with 100% financing (with approved credit). Equipment rebates and/or utility rebates may be available on select items. If your home is not heating properly, contact us to schedule a FREE estimate to upgrade and/or repair your heat pump or furnace!
Don’t be left out in the cold when your power goes out either! We offer whole-home and whole-office generators, so contact us today to schedule a FREE estimate.
Enjoy comfort and peace – of mind – this holiday season knowing you prepped for the season in advance; however, if things do go awry, we are open 24/7/365 for HVAC, plumbing and refrigeration emergencies. Just give Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration a call – day or night – at 803.772.7715 or book online at the top of the page by clicking the “Schedule Now” button. We hope you and your family have a wonderful and joyous holiday season!