5 Ways to Prevent Frozen Pipes

For those of us who live in places, such as Michigan, with cold winters, the thought of frozen pipes can be very scary.  Frozen pipes can lead to burst pipes and huge messes.  The good news is that preventing frozen pipes is pretty simple- you just can’t let the pipes get too cold.  This doesn’t mean knitting your pipes a warm scarf, though.  It means that when the temperatures drop you should…

Add insulation around the outside of pipes, especially on those pipes that are located on outside walls or in unconditioned spaces (attics, basements, garages etc…)

Keep the garage door closed as much as possible if you have any pipes in your garage.

Leave a faucet dripping to keep the water flowing.

In commercial buildings, especially, be aware of where your bathrooms are located.  Some commercial buildings have bathrooms located right near the entrance, so try to keep warm air flowing to those bathrooms as much as possible by keeping certain doors closed and propping other ones open.

Not turn the heat down too low while you are out of the house.

Pretty simple, right?  If you do find that your pipes have frozen-don’t panic, a frozen pipe does not automatically lead to a burst pipe.  You want to try and warm that pipe right away by opening any cabinet doors around it, blowing it with a hair dryer, placing a space heater near it, and contacting a licensed plumber.  Remember to keep the faucet open. DO NOT use an open FLAME to warm the pipe.

Contact FLAME for more information about taking care of your plumbing this winter!

Also, check out this article and this video where some of this information came from:  Winter Storms:  Take Preventative Action.