How to Prevent Your Home Pipes from Freezing in the Winter

Home pipes are the material that helps in the removal of wastes and garbages from homes. These are also helpful in removing the excess water after use in homes. But when they get blocked, tension arises and, we have to manage it as soon as possible. However, these pipes face damages in the cold weather due to the freezing point in an area. So, the pipes may burst or even turn into pieces in the winter season. These pipes can damage the property and become the humans living worst in cold weather. The more chances of home pipes damages are in garages and floors where they have unheated environment. In this way, home pipes have no heating Medium and, a freezing environment occupies them. It will destroy their shapes and structures. So, it will lead to the destruction of the sewerage system of your home.

What is the Reason that Home Pipes get Frozen?

The freezing ability of several materials varies with the conditions of the outside climate. Water has molecules that are in contact with each other due to intramolecular forces. But when the temperature decreases, the molecular density decreases. So, the density of water decreases and the formation of ice begins. In this way, ice floats on the water. So, the expansion of water occurs at the freezing point temperature. This expansion exerts pressure on the pipe structure. The pipe molecules cannot bear the stress and get fractured under these conditions. The more vulnerable zones in the winter season are the faucets, swimming pools and uninsulated interior of homes.

How to Prevent Home Pipes from Freezing in the Winter?

Some several techniques and methodologies help to manage the home pipes in the winter season. Some of them are the following;

  • Insulation Addition:

We have to add insulation to our materials before the beginning of the winter season. In this way, these materials will not get in touch with freezing temperatures. When we add insulation to pipes in unheated areas, it will give stunning results. So, insulating home pipes are inexpensive and economical. You can get assistance from a plumber to fix up the problem as soon as possible.

  • Preparation Before the Winter Arrival:

We have to prepare ourselves before the arrival of the winter season. We have to prepare our preventive measures that help to manage the condition of the winter season. We have to drain our swimming pool water and, we have to close the valves that can carry water inside of a home. So, we have to insulate our home pipes to prevent freezing temperature damages in the future. We have to use foam as an insulating material. These foams add huge protection layers to the home pipes and provide security against disturbance. Foams maintain the energy of home pipes and prevent the bursting of these Pipes.

Another material is the dome that protects against cold in the winter season. It covers the outside of pipes and provides a shield against cold weather. Dome increases the resistance of home pipes against freezing temperatures.

  • Allow the Faucets Dripping:

We have to allow the Faucets to drip for decreasing the pressure in the pipes. So, if the home pipe freezes, the chances of bursting the pipe are low. When the water entrance is from the backside of a home, you have to allow the water to drip from the front side. So, it will protect your property from damage and will decrease your water bill per month.

  • Thermostat Management:

A thermostat reduces the loss of energy if we lower its temperature before going to bed. The normal state of the thermostat can increase the burden and consumes more electricity. So, lowering the temperature of a thermostat up to 55 F is necessary for managing the home pipes. This temperature will prevent the freezing of pipes. In this way, the durability of the home pipe increases up to several months.

  • Water Valve Closing and Opening:

If the temperature of a home pipe decreases up to several degrees at any time, we have to turn off the water valves. It will protect against the bursting of home pipes. Complete closing and leaking of water may increase the chances of home pipes bursting. So, we have to be careful about the home pipes protection.

  • Opening the Cabinet Doors:

Several cabinets of a home have water supplying Pipes. Opening the doors of cabinets will allow heat transfers to the pipes and protect against bursting in the cold winter season. Heaters are the other sources that protect against cold weather. Our bathrooms and kitchens are sensitive places. So, we have to be careful about their security when using the heater.

Thawing of Frozen Home Pipes:

  • If the water is trickling when we open a faucet, there are more chances that our home pipes get Frozen. However, there are several ways to thaw the blocked home pipes. These are the following;

  • When water flows through the pipes, it will clean the ice in the home pipes. The water will allow the melting of ice and, the flow increases when more ice melts.

  • Heat application is another process to regulate the functions of home pipes in cold weather. When we cannot locate the blocking point of a home pipe, we use heat to melt the ice inside a home pipe. For this process, we have to cover the home pipe with some insulating material. We can use an electric heating pad to remove the blockage as soon as possible inside of the home pipe. We have to apply this process until the water through the home pipe regains its original flow. A space heater is also a suitable heating device for ice melting. But it is more dangerous than the electric heater.

Final Thoughts:

Home pipes provide a facility for the provision of water inside of a home at any time. They can get blocked when the freezing of water starts in the winter season. Several methods help manage the home pipes in the winter season. Application of effective process and maintaining the flow for all time is inevitable for regular activities. If the problem still exists, we have to contact a plumber that for managing the situation. We can prevent the temperature dropping of home pipes by providing heat all the time. But it is an uneconomical process. So, we can solve this problem by insulating the home pipes.

Compare listings

Compare