Preventing Frozen Pipes During Winter: Your Guide to Protect Your Chesterton Home

Chesterton, Indiana, is known for humid summers and cold, snowy winters. The nearby Lake Michigan is responsible for a lake effect here, which also leads to lake-effect snow. As the icy winds continue to blow off the lake, temperatures drop sharply.

This poses a significant threat to household plumbing. When the water inside pipes freezes, it expands by at least 9%. This means instant and immense pressure inside a thin pipe that often leads to a burst.

Fortunately, if you prepare your property in advance, you can prevent this by taking the following steps to prevent frozen pipes.

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Frozen Pipes Come With the Risk of Extensive Damage

When temperatures drop to freezing or below, standing water inside pipes can freeze. If this happens in your home and a pipe bursts because of the pressure, hundreds of gallons of water can spill into your home as the ice melts. This can cause extensive damage.

In your Chesterton home, some areas and rooms will be more at risk of frozen pipes than others. For example, pipes along poorly insulated exterior walls are most vulnerable to freezing.

The colder areas throughout your house, including your garage and basement, will also be at risk of frozen pipes if the temperature drops below freezing.

The same applies to outdoor sprinkler systems and fixtures. Everything you use outdoors for irrigation, including hoses and spigots, is directly exposed to the cold.

It is important to protect all the pipes inside and outside of your property to prevent them from freezing. You can do this by:

Improving Pipe Insulation or Adding Additional Insulation

If your pipes are properly insulated, they will be protected in frigid weather. There are many cost-effective ways to insulate pipes, including insulation wraps, heat tape, or foam sleeves.

Ideally, you want to focus on pipes in colder areas of your home, where the temperature quickly drops. Living in an older home may require additional insulation to compensate for less energy-efficient building materials.

Circulating Heat Through the House

When winter storms gear up, it is crucial to balance the heat in your home. You should not set your thermostat to below 55°F – it should always be higher.

You must heat your home, even when you are away. Otherwise, you may come home to frozen pipes. Consider opening cabinet doors under sinks to allow the warmer indoor air to circulate the pipes.

If you notice your heating system struggling during extremely cold weather, use space heaters for extra heat. Just remember to turn these heaters off when you are not home.

Stopping Drafts From Entering Your Home

It is easy for cold air to come into your home through unfixed cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and walls. Weather stripping and caulking can seal these openings, making your house warmer.

Remember to do the same for garage doors and exterior wall pipe penetrations, as these are usually weak points in homes.

As an added measure, you can also open your faucets slightly, as moving water is less likely to freeze. Allow a small stream of water to flow through your pipes and drip from your faucet. A slowly dripping faucet also prevents pressure from building up.

Do Not Neglect Your Outdoor Pipes

You can take extra steps to protect outdoor pipes and fixtures during freezing weather. For instance, you should always drain and disconnect hoses and faucets. If you do not drain hoses, the water that remains inside can freeze, causing damage.

Also, shut off all sprinklers and drain the remaining water. This will help prevent the underground pipes from freezing. If you are unsure how to do this, a professional plumber can help you blow out the lines.

Another inexpensive strategy to protect outdoor plumbing systems is insulated covers. These form a barrier between faucets and fixtures and the cold.

Steps to Take If a Pipe Freezes

It is possible for a pipe to freeze despite your best efforts. If this happens, do the following:

• Find your home’s main water shut-off valve and turn it off. Doing this prevents more water from entering the frozen pipe, which may increase the risk of a burst.
• There are several methods you can use to thaw the pipe gradually. You can use hair dryers and heating pads. Start at the faucet and work slowly towards the frozen section.

The thawing process will inevitably be slow, so you need to be patient. Do not try to rush things by using open flames or high-heat devices. This may cause a fire hazard in your home.
Call a licensed plumber if you cannot find the frozen section or do not know how to thaw the pipe. The plumber will thaw the pipe efficiently and check for cracks or leaks.

Act Quickly to Prevent Excessive Damage to Your Chesterton Home

Don’t wait for freezing temperatures to wreak havoc on your plumbing system. Frozen pipes are a preventable issue if you take action quickly. Use the above tips to prepare your plumbing system and home for harsh winters. That way, you prevent the risk of frozen pipes and save yourself money.

Get Professional Assistance to Winterize Your Pipes

You do not have to do all the hard work yourself when preparing your home for winter. Summers Plumbing Heating & Cooling has expert knowledge and experience to protect your plumbing system throughout winter.

Book a maintenance appointment and make the most of our current local specials. To find out more, call 219-797-6122 or schedule a service online.