VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. – When temperatures drop, your pipes can burst, leaving you with headaches and a ton of costly repairs.
“Unfortunately, if these pipes freeze, they can splinter and cause pretty devastating damage to your home, especially for people with copper and polybutylene pipes,” said Scott Shaffer, plumbing manager at Michael and Son Services in Chesapeake.
Shaffer said prevention is the name of the game so that burst pipes and flooding don’t destroy your home. He said a good rule of thumb is to keep the faucet dripping.
“This can add to a high water bill, but it is far less than expensive pipe repairs or house damage repairs,” he said. “The other great thing is to keep your warmth in your home constant.”
Shaffer also recommends insulating your pipes whenever possible, as this isn’t very expensive and can make a huge difference.
“We have been lucky so far this year that we have been a little warmer down here, but I see with the expanded forecast that we will get a little colder weather,” said Shaffer.
Michael & Son Tips on Avoiding Frozen Pipes Below:
- Keep the garage doors closed when there are water pipes in the garage.
- Open the cabinet doors for the kitchen and bathroom so that warm air can surround the pipes.
- When the temperatures are below freezing, drain the cold water from the faucet.
- Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night.
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