Indiana can get mighty cold in the winter months, and frozen pipes can strike homes where proper precautions aren’t taken. When the temperatures drop below freezing for an extended period, the water in the home’s pipes can freeze if the home isn’t heated warmly enough or if there are openings in the outside of your home that allow extremely the cold air to enter and warmth to escape. When the water freezes, the ice expands and this can cause the pipes to burst. Follow these tips to prevent frozen pipes in your Indiana home when the temperatures drop for extended periods this winter.
- During excessively cold weather, let faucets drip to keep the water running through the pipes. This helps to prevent the pressure buildup that can lead to burst pipes.
- Keep your garage doors closed to keep any plumbing that runs through the garage as warm as possible.
- Maintain an even temperature in your home, even at night, during cold weather. You may save money on your heating bill by lowering the temperature at night, but you will incur even more expense if your pipes burst. There are other ways to lower your heating costs in the winter.
- Drain your water system if you are leaving home for more than a day or two.
- Caulk any cracks and holes you can find in your outside walls near where plumbing is located. Air leaks allow the cold to reach your pipes and freeze them.
- Insulate all of the pipes that you can, especially those pipes that are close to outside walls. Insulating pipe sleeves are available at most home improvement stores.
- Open the doors to your kitchen and bathroom cabinets so the warm indoor air will have a better chance of reaching the plumbing.
Visit us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing for more expert advice on how to avoid frozen pipes and winterize your home. We’ve been serving the Greater Indianapolis area for over 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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