Asked on Dec 30, 2017

Simple Hint to Avoid Frozen Pipes

Lisa S.
by Lisa S.
If you are in the north east where we are experiencing very cold weather: there is great fear about frozen pipes. Many of my water pipes are on the outside wall (kitchen sink on outside wall, along with some plumbing upstairs). I leave my cabinet doors under my sink open (especially at night when you are not running water) so the heat can get to the pipes. Use commercial pipe wrap in the basement on the pipes as well. If you are not in the position to buy that wrap - think of alternatives (It is really inexpensive). My dad when I was a young girl, (5 decades ago) used rags to wrap the pipes (as either they did not make the pipe wrap back then , or he had no money to buy it, maybe we were snowed in?). He also forced rags as insulation up in the basement in the ceiling along the outside wall.
Also make sure you turn the water off going to all outside hoses. Then disconnect the hose, and leave the spicket (outside) open to drain the water from the line. I recall as a child the pipes freezing once, (prior to the wrapping of the pipes) and he used space heaters and hair dryers to remedy the situation. Which worked. HUDGE damage will result if these pipes burst.

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