Plumber offers tips to prevent frozen pipes | News

Just before winter, temperatures in northeast Oklahoma have already dropped, so pipes can freeze and possibly burst if the weather gets too cold.

Frozen pipes can adversely affect households. According to information from the American Red Cross provided by the Tahlequah Public Works Authority, water expands when it freezes and can put tremendous pressure on anything it contains, such as: B. metal or plastic pipes.

The most common pipes that freeze include those exposed to extreme cold, such as B. Outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines and water sprinkler lines; Water supply lines in unheated indoor areas such as basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages or kitchen cupboards; and pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation.

However, homeowners can take precautions to avoid frozen pipes or water damage. Perhaps the most important step is unhooking water hoses from outside taps.

“That’s the main cause of a broken or frozen pipe,” said Robert House of House to House Plumbing. “Go straight to Lowe’s or Tahlequah Lumber and get one of those styrofoam boots that you can attach to your outside faucet once you’ve removed the hose.”

Heat storage in the house is important to avoid frozen pipes. According to TPWA, the heat in a house should never be set below 55 degrees. If residents do not want to be around for long periods of time, they should have someone check their homes daily to make sure the heating is still on to prevent freezing, or drain and turn off the water system.

“You need to have your house heated so your pipes don’t go below 32 [degrees]”said House.” Since most people have heat, we recommend keeping the cabinet door that is under your sinks open. This allows the heat to generate and warm up the pipes coming through the floor. “

Homeowners may consider installing water pipe insulation products such as pipe sleeves or thermal tape. The newspaper may even provide some insulation for exposed pipes. However, according to House, there is a misconception that insulation prevents pipes from freezing or bursting.

“The pipe insulation stores the heat that is already in your pipes at the temperature of the water,” he said. “So if you insulate a pipe and keep it out in freezing temperatures, no matter how much insulation you put on it, it will still freeze. It helps with wind chill factors and wind blowing through the heat in it.”

Most people are familiar with faucets running or dripping overnight. It is important that people keep both hot and cold water running. According to House, most of the frozen and broken pipes he deals with are in the hot water pipes.

“One drop doesn’t quite make it,” said House. “You only want a very small stream, but you also have to do it hot and cold. A big misconception is that it doesn’t freeze because it’s hot, which it doesn’t.”

When pipes freeze, the first thing homeowners should do is open their taps to bring the frozen water somewhere. Then they should open their cabinet doors to heat the pipes. Unless they call a professional, they should also turn off the water on their meters or main valves to their homes, as defrosting and breaking the pipe can damage the home, Haus said.

“Every homeowner should know where to cut the main water,” House said. “Then turn off your power source for your water heater because if it breaks it can drain and you could have other problems with draining your water heater or possibly a fire hazard.”

Those who don’t plan on being away from home for long periods of time and can’t find someone to look after their homes should consider hibernating professionally. Oklahoma doesn’t get as cold as some parts of the country, however. So unless there is a long cold spell, homeowners shouldn’t have to worry too much.

“When we have a cold snap that lasts two or three days we get a lot of calls. People here don’t really prepare for it,” House said. “But if you only hit 32 [degrees], you don’t really have a chance to freeze. “

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