Frozen Pipes
Why Does a Plumbing System Freeze?
A plumbing system is absolutely necessary if one wants to have water in their home to shower, bathe, wash dishes, or to drink. Unfortunately, sometimes a plumbing system can freeze during extremely cold weather, which can lead to other problems.
Plumbing systems can freeze when the weather hits 31°F or lower, which causes the water in the pipes to freeze, cutting off the possibility of using the water.
If there is not enough warmth around the pipes or plumbing, it can freeze when it's extremely cold. Sometimes the material that the pipes are made from, can also contribute to the fact that they freeze during cold weather. Copper pipes have a tendency to freeze more than other types of piping.
How Can I Prevent This?
There are several methods that you can use to prevent your pipes from freezing. It's not a guarantee that cold weather will freeze your pipes, but it's always best to prevent this from happening, as opposed to learning after it has happened. Warmth is the biggest issue, why pipes will freeze.
If there is a lack of insulation around pipes, they are more likely to freeze. By installing insulation around pipes in your home, you can help prevent them from freezing. Sometimes pipes will be under a sink which is next to a window, and these pipes are more likely to freeze.
Opening the cabinet doors, to allow the warm air from inside the home reach the pipes, can help prevent freezing too. You'll want to keep your home warm at all times during cold weather, in order to prevent freezing as well.
If you know you'll be away for the winter months, or even for more than a few days, assign someone to watch your home. The caretaker should run the water regularly in order to keep them from freezing, and keep the home warm.
Why Is It Important To Keep This From Happening?
It's very important to prevent frozen pipes, especially if you're away from the home for several days or longer. Without this type of prevention, you may come home to a flooded basement, caused by cracked pipes that froze during cold weather.
The cost to fix flooding damage from pipes, or the broken pipes themselves, can be extremely high. Preventative measures that are taken, will save you on the overall costs of fixing damage from broken pipes later.
Are your pipes possibly frozen in your Orlando home? Give Shamrock Plumbing and Drain Cleaning a Call at (407) 305-6183, in order to figure out why your water isn't working properly.