protecting your new home from freezing pipes

This week and next, Missouri is expecting extremely low temperatures! This is when we hear calls about pipes bursting and homes flooding from a pipe leak.

No one wants to deal with the headache of leaking and frozen pipes. Now is the time to take precautions to protect your home and make sure your drywall remains dry.

It is time to check your pipes! Go through this list to ensure you prevent your pipes from freezing in the cold temperatures: 

• Inspect Pipes On The Outside Of Your Home: Look at your pipes for any damage or existing leaks. High-risk pipes you should try to drain or cover include pipes leading to pools, exterior wall pipes, sprinkler systems, and pipes in crawl spaces.
• Cover Exterior Plumbing: If you cannot shut off or drain any of the exterior plumbing you can cover them to help keep them from freezing.
• Wrap Exterior Pipes With Insulation: This can help the pipes to retain heat from the building and resist freezing.
• Rooms Or Buildings Without Heat: If there are any rooms or buildings that do not have heat in them, you should try to maintain the temperature in those buildings to be well above freezing.
• Check Interior Piping: Make sure none of your interior pipes will be exposed to the cold. If you have plumbing in your basement that is exposed to the cold outside it can freeze and burst.

How To Prevent Frozen Pipes During A Cold Snap.  Everything above covers ways to prevent your pipes from freezing before a cold snap. Now the cold is here! What can you do to protect your home and keep your pipes from bursting during a cold snap?

• Drip Water From Your Faucet: Let your internal sink drip water during the cold snap. Having your sink drip during a cold snap can help the water to continue to move. This keeps the pipes from freezing.
• Close Doors: If you have a garage, detached shed, or breezeway with plumbing in them, make sure you keep their doors closed as much as possible.
• Keep Your Heat On: Going on vacation? Leaving for the weekend? Don’t turn your heat down too low or you might come home to a water logged home!
• Open Doors: Your exterior walls behind your cabinet can get cold if they aren’t opened often. Open your cabinets and closets so warm air can get to the pipes.​

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