Here are a few tips from Aqua Carolina to prevent the pipes in your home from freezing.
- Make sure to have a supply of heat tape and pipe insulation, as well as a portable space heater and a portable hair dryer on hand.
- Locate and visibly mark the master valve so homeowners can turn off the water to their home in case a pipe breaks inside their home.
- Make sure the lids on outdoor meter pits are not broken or missing.
- Shut off and drain any outside faucets including those for lawn sprinkling systems.
- Prevent drafts in unheated areas, such as crawl spaces or basements, by replacing broken glass or making other repairs.
Aqua Carolina also has tips for protecting pipes in the unheated portions of your home.
- Wrap pipes with insulation material or heat tape. Wrap indoor water meters with a blanket. Proper and safe use of portable space heaters can also keep exposed pipes in drafty areas from freezing.
- For interior plumbing located on an outside wall such as a kitchen sink, install heat tape to the pipes beneath the sink. If no small children are in the house, open cabinet doors beneath the sink to allow the warm air in the home to reach the pipes.
- When temperatures remain near 10Β°F, residents might want to leave a very thin stream of water running continuously from at least one tapβpreferably the one farthest from the meter. The additional cost of the water is cheaper than the cost of repairing ruptured pipes.
- If a pipe freezes and a homeowner can locate the frozen area, use a hand-held hair dryer (blow dryer) or heat tape to thaw the area.
