So, water’s pretty cool. It’s necessary for life, of course. But there’s something kinda weird about water, and that’s the fact that it actually expands as it freezes. Also, it’s winter, which is cold. Now imagine this – the water in your pipes freezes. And then it expands, pressing against the metal or plastic piping.
If your imagination is now envisioning that same pipe bursting like a water balloon, you would be correct. (Okay, maybe not quite like a water balloon, but you get the point!)
When pipes freeze, the water can actually cause the pipe to burst. And that is absolutely no fun.
Get a home insurance quoteCommon pipes to be affected by freezing:
- Outside pipes that are closest to the weather (ex. water sprinklers)
- Pipes in areas of the house that get cold (ex. basement, attic, garage)
- Pipes that are against the outside walls of the home and areas that aren’t insulted well
Anyways, here are a few easy tips to prevent that from happening if your area is currently experiencing freezing weather and you’ve been warned about frozen pipes.
Tips to prevent frozen pipes.
- If your garage has water lines, keep the garage door closed to trap warm air.
- Open cabinets in the kitchen and the bathrooms so that warm air can get to the pipes under the sinks. Just don’t forget to move any cleaning supplies and stuff so that your kids/pets won’t get into them!
- If the weather is super cold, let water drip from the faucets connected to the pipes most likely to be affected.
- Keep the temperature the same during the day and at night. Yes, that might mean paying more for your heating bill. But you can spare yourself the headache of frozen pipes.
- If you’re taking a vacation or something, don’t let the temperature go below 55˚F in your home. (Don’t be a smarty pants – yes, we know freezing temperature is 32˚. But pipes and water are weird.)
So – another thing that’s important this winter is home insurance. Get started with your home insurance quotes by filling out our online form or messaging us on LiveChat.