By Chris Howell, [email protected]
Donnie Meyer from Meyers Plumbing is used to repairing frozen pipes during cold spells like those Sedalians suffer this week. After 43 years of installing and repairing the damage that cold weather can cause, Meyer knows firsthand how to avoid this costly damage.
“Usually the crawl spaces around the house aren’t tight enough to keep the cold air from blowing underneath,” he said. “The key to preventing your pipes from freezing is making sure the crawl space is tightly sealed and that there is no cold air breeze blowing underneath.”
It’s not just the cold, but strong winds can penetrate the unheated area under your house through the smallest crack in the foundation. Plugging these holes is the biggest step a homeowner can take to avoid broken water pipes. It is not always the first week of bitter cold that takes the greatest toll as houses retain residual heat that protects them from freezing. Meyer said: “The longer it stays cold, the colder it gets there. We’re probably looking at the last part of the week or even next week. It’s cold the first week, that’s fine. It’s cold now that we’re into the second week, but it’s getting colder under the house and then things will start to freeze. “
Meyer warns against using space heaters under the house as they can create a fire hazard. “No no no no no! Don’t do that!” He advised. “The best way, if there is furnace ducts or something running underneath, possibly take one of them apart and let the warm air blow underneath.”
Anyone who has left a bottle of liquid in the freezer only to find it broken has seen the force ice creates when it expands as it freezes. This expansion will swell copper pipes and eventually burst them.
“It will expand the longer the pipe stays frozen,” Meyer explained. “The ice gets harder and it expands more and more and then it usually splits the tubes open.”
Newer constructions have been converted from copper pipes to PEX pipes, a cross-linked polyethylene pipe. These flexible pipelines have replaced copper and galvanized steel in new builds and conversions, but many of Sedalia’s historic parts have yet to be upgraded.
While PEX is great at preventing burst pipes and the resulting water damage, Meyer warns that some PEX are better than others. Meyer recommends using a licensed plumber who is familiar with the limitations and uses of each type.
If your pipes freeze, you will quickly get by without water, flushing toilets, and clean laundry. You have the option of waiting for spring or renting a convection heater, which Meyer calls Salamander, to blow heat under your house from the outside.
“Sometimes the only thing you can do is get some warmth underneath, especially in those old houses,” he added.
There isn’t much a plumber can do until the pipes are thawed, which can take many hours. If your pipes are frozen, others in the city can have the same problems, so you will have to wait for plumbers to help you.
“We’re already working and I don’t know how to say this but when it gets this cold sometimes it’s not worth repairing as your pipes will freeze right back unless you seal off the crawl space,” said Meyer.
Running an indoor faucet with a small stream of water can help keep house pipes flowing, although Meyer has pointed out that doing so will add to your water bill.
How about if the taps are dripping outside?
“You don’t want to do that because you throw the water on the ground outside and it will freeze,” Meyer said. “You’re better off just doing it indoors.”
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