Winterizing your home or office is important, and you need to prepare for the sub-zero temperatures. Ideally, you should winterize your plumbing pipes in the fall. But if you forgot and all of a sudden you’re in a deep freeze, there’s still time to prevent a disaster. Here’s a few tips to keep your pipes from bursting.
Wrap Your Plumbing Pipes
If your plumbing pipes are near freezing, wrapping them with warm towels might do the trick. You can also pour boiling water on top of the wrapped pipes to help loosen ice inside the pipes and get them running again.
Drip Water from your Faucets
If the temperature has dropped to 30 degrees or below, turning on your faucets can keep water moving through the pipes and slow down the freezing process. Let the water dip slowly.
Blow Hot Air on the Plumbing Pipes
A hairdryer can be a blessing when your pipes are frozen. If wrapping the pipes with towels does not work, try blowing hot air directly on the pipes using a hairdryer. DO NOT use a blow torch or anything that produces direct flames. You’re trying to melt the ice — not your pipes.
Open Cabinet Doors
During the winter, open the cabinet doors covering the plumbing in the kitchen and bathroom, especially if they are on an outside wall. This will allow the warmer air in your home or office to circulate, which can help prevent the pipes from freezing.
Turn off the Water if your Pipes are Frozen
If your pipes are already frozen, turn off the water. This will prevent more water from filling the pipes and bursting your pipes.
To get additional tips for your home or office, follow us on Facebook. Albrite Building is a General Contractor company located in Westmont, Illinois. We specialize in commercial building projects as well as specially selected residential projects. In addition to general contracting work, we also provide design and build services to meet our client’s specific needs.