How to Keep Pipes from Freezing This Winter
In the winter, the cold temperatures can lead to the freezing of the water pipes. This freezing would result in high pressure in the pipes and may lead to the bursting of the pipes. This can cause severe flooding in the house. To counter such a problem, you need to keep the water pipes warm enough to avoid freezing. Here are some tips that can help keep the pipes from freezing:
Keeping the Heat on
If you or the tenants are not going to be around the property for a long time, ensure that the heat is on inside the property. This might seem like too much to ask for from the tenants if they are in charge of their utility bills. However, you should stress that this can help prevent the freezing of the pipes and that if they freeze, they might burst and this could result in water damage to their possessions and the property.
Besides, the heat doesn’t have to be all the way up as one would crank it if they were around. Keeping it above 50 F should get the job done. The heat will be enough to warm the pipes and stop any water from freezing.
Dripping off the Faucet
If you want to counter the freezing in the pipeline, you can leave the faucet to the pipe open to allow for slight dripping. When you do this, you will enable the pressure to leave the system. You see, when a pipe freezes, bursting is as a result of the accumulated pressure between the faucet and the blockage. On the other hand, pressure cannot build up when the faucet is open, and this prevents the pipe bursting. If cold and hot water pipes serve the faucet, you’ll have to open both of the faucet taps a bit or set the kitchen faucet to warm.
Open Interior Doors
The pipes in question are mostly found in cabinets. For this reason, if the temperature drops, leaving the cabinet doors ajar will allow in heat from the room to ensure the pipes are just as warm. Also, the interior doors should be left open to allow for the flow of heat in the home.
