Top Tips To Prevent  Your Pipes From Freezing This Winter

As the temperature starts to drop your concerns at home should change. The arrival of winter tells you it is time to check your insulation and do basic maintenance, ensuring your home will withstand the rigors of winter. 

Included in this should be an annual inspection from your local plumber Sydney. They will be able to identify leaks that could become worse under the stress of winter resulting in burst pipes and floods. They should also check your water heater is working properly and they may even check your heating system, depending on which system you have. 

Your plumber may advise you about freezing pipes. After all, they can stop you from accessing water and increase the likelihood of pipes bursting and the associated issues. 

Identify The Pipes At Risk

Any water pipe that runs outside of your main living space is at risk. In general, providing you heat your house the pipes inside will not get cold enough to freeze. But, outside pipes are vulnerable. You may be aware of the problem ones from previous years. If not, take a walk around your property racing pipes, and work out where they all are.

Cover Them

All water pipes outside the home or in the basement/crawl space should be insulated. This simply means covering them with foam that slots over the pipes. This will ensure the cold takes longer to affect them.

Block Up Crawl Spaces

Crawl spaces are a great way to access things under your home and to ensure there is airflow that prevents the buildup of warm air that causes mold. For the winter you can use foam to cover the vents that allow air to get into the crawl spaces. By doing this the air will stay warmer under the hose, protecting the pipes 

Dripping Faucets

When the temperature is very low or heading that way leave your faucet on, allowing it to drip slowly. The amount of water you will use is negligible and significantly cheaper than paying to clear up flood damage following a frozen pipe that bursts.

Because it’s dripping the water inside the pipes is moving. This makes it harder for it to freeze. 

Open Cupboard Doors

Mist water pipes run inside cupboards to keep them out of sight. This allows them to hug the wall and look discrete. However, cupboards don’t generally warm up during the winter months. If you put your hand into a cupboard you will find it is significantly cooler than the air in your room!

To combat this leave your cupboard doors open for periods throughout the day. Obviously, you will need to be careful if any of the cupboards have food in and you have pets!

Keep the Temperature Up

It is tempting to turn the thermostat down a degree or two in the winter to save energy. However, you need to be careful to keep the house above freezing at all times, this will help to prevent the pipes from freezing and make it more pleasant staying in the house.