Texas weather can be unpredictable. While some parts of the Brazos River Basin have already experienced freezing temperatures, other areas haven't yet fallen below 40 degrees.
Water entering your home is a valuable resource. However, when water freezes, it expands in volume, exerting pressure on your home's plumbing. This expansion can lead to pipes bursting, which not only causes water damage but also results in significant repair costs.
According to Consumer Reports, most homeowners’ insurance claims are caused by water damage from frozen or burst pipes.
If you live in an area that faces multiple days of freezing weather, do you know how to protect your plumbing from freezing and bursting? Here are some tips to help you avoid costly repairs.
The pipes most vulnerable to freezing are in unheated areas such as exterior walls, attics, garages, outdoor hose bibs, and sprinkler lines.
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, most homeowners' insurance policies typically cover water damage from frozen burst pipes. However, coverage could depend on whether the homeowner or renter took “reasonable care,” such as maintaining heat, shutting off water during outages, and taking preventive measures to protect pipes, both inside and out.
Preparing the outside of your home can be simple. Start by installing inexpensive wraps or covers on exposed pipes and outdoor faucets. The TDI suggests starting in the attic, where many Texas homeowners saw pipes freeze in recent years. They suggest identifying water shutoff valves indoors and out, whether you own your home or live in an apartment or condo, to prepare for cutting off the water if a freeze poses risks. Taking precautions in advance will ease worries and ensure you're ready for potential weather changes.
Consumer Reports also provides tips on preventing water pipes from freezing inside your home and how to thaw them if they do.
Once the outside temperatures begin to drop, you should take measures inside to keep your pipes warm and water flowing. Frozen pipes usually occur below 20° F, but freezing can occur above that temperature as well, especially if you have uninsulated pipes running through uninsulated spaces.
How to prevent pipes from freezing:
• Keep garage doors closed, especially if water supply lines are in the garage.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing, especially if your sinks are on an exterior wall. (If you have small children, be sure to remove any harmful cleaners and household chemicals from the open cabinets.)
- Let cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe, even at a trickle, helps prevent pipes from freezing.
- Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during both day and night. While it might be tempting to lower it to save money on your heating bill, sometimes a cold snap isn't the time to turn it down if your pipes are at risk of freezing.
- Leave the heat on if you're going to be away during cold weather. Set the thermostat to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Insulate your pipes. Pipe insulation costs just a few dollars at your local hardware store or home center. Sometimes, this small investment in protecting vulnerable pipes can save you thousands of dollars, not to mention the heartbreak and effort involved in dealing with a burst pipe.
- For long-term efficiency, add insulation to attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation will help keep temperatures higher in those areas. To prevent drafts, seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and sill plates, where the house rests on its foundation.
Thawing frozen pipes
If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, you might have a frozen pipe. “If you suspect the pipes are frozen, be careful when thawing them out because if the pipe has already burst, the water will flow out and flood your home,” says John Galeotafiore, who oversees space heater and air conditioner testing at Consumer Reports.
If a pipe has burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve, which is usually located at the water meter or where the main line enters the house. If water is still flowing and no pipes have burst, you can follow these steps.
- Turn on the faucet. As you heat the frozen pipe and the ice plug begins to melt, you want the water to flow freely. Running water through the pipe, even if it's cold, will help melt the ice.
- Apply heat to the frozen section. You can do this with an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, or a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. As tempting as it may be, do not use a blowtorch, a kerosene or propane heater, a charcoal stove, or any device with an open flame because the high heat can damage the pipes or even start a fire.
- Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. Check all other faucets in your home to see whether you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze too.
- Call a licensed plumber if you can't locate the frozen section, if the frozen area is inaccessible, or if you're unable to thaw the pipe.
If you need extra heat, use extreme caution when adding a space heater to a room where pipes might be at risk.
It might require some effort, but caring for pipes before the first freeze is essential.