Welcome to Winter - Are Your Pipes Ready?

January 03, 2023

Can you flush your toilet if your pipes are frozen? ...Talk about questions you “wish” you had asked!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is that wonderful time of year when the worst of winter is looming upon us. And the Farmer’s Almanac has been warning us that the winter of 2023 will be both long and cold. So, we ask you… are your pipes ready?

If you have not yet prepared your exterior pipes, we are sharing our favorite preventative freeze tips to help you survive the winter months without worry.

FYI: It is important to note that pipes are most susceptible to freezing should they be located near an exterior wall or in an unheated crawlspace. Internal freezing typically only happens should power outages occur for extended periods of time.

Freeze Prevention Tips

Here are some of the best practices to help prevent pipes from freezing. Remember, it is far easier to prevent a pipe from freezing than replacing a burst pipe! As a rule-of-thumb, pipes do start to freeze around the 20 degree Fahrenheit mark.

Keep your garage doors closed as much as possible.
Open all interior doors to allow for better heat circulation (and bathroom cabinet doors at night).
At a minimum, keep your interior temperature around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and be sure to stay consistent.

Note, there is a chance that your pipes have already been frozen in the pre-winter months. If you do happen to experience a freeze, the main thing to remember when thawing your pipes is THAW SLOWLY! Thawing pipes too quickly can create preventable cracks and breaks in your lines due to the stress of temperature changes on the pipes.

Below are some of our preferred Thawing Tips

Should you find your pipes frozen (typically indicated by no water or constrained flow) remember, heat them slowly to avoid cracks.

Wrap an electric heating pad around the pipes to get them flowing.
Heat the pipes with a hairdryer.
Steadily increase the heat in your home (this is usually the preferred method).

We hope you stay warm and safe as we embrace the worst of winter! And be sure to keep yourself, your family, pets, and (of course) your pipes warm!

Article Sources

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/winter-storm/frozen-pipes.html

https://www.fox4news.com/news/no-power-heres-how-to-deal-with-frozen-pipes

https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/news/web/html/winterize-home.html

Additional Resources

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-prevent-pipes-from-freezing/9ba683603be9fa5395fab905760afb9#:~:text=If%20cold%20weather%20settles%20in,system%20and%20prevent%20frozen%20pipes.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/stop-freezing-pipes-2124982

https://riskandinsurance.com/we-studied-433-burst-pipe-claims-heres-what-you-need-to-know-before-winter-arrives/

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/13-tips-to-prepare-your-plumbing-for-winter/

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/epahome/hi-winter.htm