The snowy winter weather brings things like sledding down a nearby hill or snowball fights in the front yard. At the same time, winter weather can be tough on your home. Extremely cold conditions can cause the water lines in your plumbing to freeze and burst, which may result in severe water damage and long-lasting negative effects.

If your pipes are covered in ice, you should call a plumber in Highlands Ranch to handle the problem. That being said, there’s a lot you can perform on your own to prevent this from happening – and even just a bit of prevention can go a long way.

What Pipes Are at a Higher Chance of Freezing

The pipes at the greatest risk of freezing are exposed water lines. Prevalent locations for uncovered pipes are inside attic crawlspaces, near exterior walls, in the basement or even running underneath a modular home. Water lines that are not appropriately insulated are at the greatest risk.

How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing in Your Home

Properly insulating exposed water lines is a solid first step to keeping your pipes free of ice. You’ll likely locate lots of these materials from a local plumbing company, and could also already have some inside your home.

Try not to cover other flammable insulation materials where they can light on fire. If you don’t feel comfortable insulating the pipes on your own, get in touch with your local plumbing services professional in Highlands Ranch to do the job.

If you do choose to insulate the pipes by yourself, good insulation materials for pipes consist of:

  • Wraps or roll insulation: Lots of plumbers, hardware stores and big box retailers offer insulation – usually fiberglass, foam wraps or pipe sleeves – that you can wrap or fit around your pipes. They are offered in numerous lengths and sizes to satisfy the needs of your home.
  • Newspaper: To some degree, newspaper can be used as insulation. If the weather is going to get cold and you aren’t able to add insulation in time, try wrapping uninsulated pipes in this.
  • Towels or rags: If you don't have the chance to add insulation and don’t have any newspaper to use, wrapping notably vulnerable pipes with towels or clean rags as a last-ditch effort could be just enough to keep the cold air away from the pipes.

One other preventative step you can try to prevent pipes from freezing in your home is to seal up any cracks that can permit cold air into your home. Keep an eye on the window frames, which can allow in surprisingly intense drafts. Not only will this help to prevent your pipes from freezing, but it will have the additional benefit of making your home more energy efficient.

Five More Ways to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing:

  • Open the cabinet doors. Opening the cabinet doors under the sinks and other rooms of your home with pipes will permit more warm air from the rest of the room to get to the pipes.
  • Letting water drip. Keeping a flow of water by letting your faucets trickle even just a bit can help thwart frozen pipes.
  • Open interior doors. By opening doors for rooms or hallways, your home can be heated more evenly. This is especially important if you struggle with a room that is generally colder or hotter than other rooms.
  • Close the garage door. The exception to the open doors tip is the garage door, which you should keep down – namely if your water lines can be found near or under the garage.
  • Keep the heat flowing. Experts encourage setting the thermostat at a persistent temperature and leaving it there, rather than allowing it to get cooler at night. Set it no colder than 55 degrees.

How to Stop Pipes from Freezing in an Empty Home

When you’re at home, it’s easy to recognize when something breaks down. But what additional steps can you take to keep pipes from freezing in a vacant home or vacation home when the consequences from a frozen pipe can remain unnoticed for a while?

As with the main residence, placing extra insulation around any exposed water lines, opening interior doors in the home and winterizing the vacant home are the best steps to attempt first.

Added Steps to Stop Pipes from Freezing in a Vacant Home:

  1. Leave the heat on. Even though you aren't currently using the home, it’s best to keep the heat on – even if you switch the thermostat down cooler than you would if you were there. As with a primary house, experts recommend keeping the temperature at no lower than 55 degrees.
  2. Shut water off and drain the lines. If you’re going to be out of the house for several weeks or are winterizing a vacation cabin or cottage, turning the water off to the house and draining the water out of the water lines is one way to stop pipes from freezing and bursting. Remember to clear the water out of any appliances, like the hot water heater, and the toilets. Confirm you get all the water from the system. If you're uncertain of how to drain the water from the pipes, or don’t feel confident handling it on your own, a plumber in Highlands Ranch will be glad to step in.