During the winter, you may head up to the mountains for a weekend getaway or head down south to get away from the cold weather. When doing this, it is important to use these home safety tips to prevent your pipes from freezing.
Top Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes in the Winter:
Outdoor Preventative Measures
A garden hose can cause more damage than a busted hose, it can actually burst your interior pipe. When the water in the hose freezes, it expands causing pressure to build throughout the plumbing system.
Close the interior shut-off valve leading to the faucet and drain the outdoor spigot.
Exposed Interior Plumbing
Plumbing pipes in an unheated area are at risk of freezing. Wrap your pipes with a water-resistant insulation material. This helps ensure all openings are well-sealed and minimizes the amount of pipe exposed to the cold temperatures.
Other Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes
Set your thermostat down low, but not so low that the pipes could freeze. The ideal temperature would be no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Change your heating oil filter to prevent unnecessary clogging and boost performance even more.
