Water starts freezing when the temperature keeps dropping and when it freezes, water expands. This effect could put the entire plumbing system at risk. During winter time in Australia, water pipes are most vulnerable to freezing especially those that are located outside the home.
Pipes could burst even in areas where there’s no ice at all. It’s because the freezing parts of the pipe induces a ‘downstream pressure’ between the faucet and the ice jam, and this is where bursting can happen.
Nothing is more inconvenient than having a frozen pipe on a day when you really are badly in need of hot water. If you have no idea on how to prepare your pipes for the winter, might as well contact the specialists for blocked drain Sydney branch or whichever is near you. But first, let’s listen to what the experts are saying when it comes to protecting your pipes from freezing.
Protect your pipes through insulation.
To prevent pipes from freezing, you need to protect them with a specially-designed polyethylene insulation and duct tape. Other kinds of pipe insulation that are commonly used are foam and fibreglass insulation. In case an emergency or temporary insulation is needed, you can make use of a wadded-up newspaper and duct tape.
You might be surprised to know that the cost of insulating the pipe is more affordable than repairing a ruptured one. Likewise, during the insulation process, take time to inspect the pipes that are located in spaces without heating, in the innermost areas of the house for instance, the garage, the attic or the basement. When you do this before the winter comes, your water pipes shall have been protected.
Leave some faucets dripping.
This is a sane way to prevent pipes from freezing but do so only with the faucets that are fed by pipes that are exposed and not necessarily all the faucets in your home. Why is this? Running water has more internal energy when compared to standing water and due to the constant movement, friction is produced.
When there’s heat even in small amounts only, there’s no way freezing can occur. With some of the faucets turned on, the movement of running water can help prevent ice blocks from forming in the pipes, and therefore, a long way from rupturing. However, if both the cold and hot water lines are exposed, then you can leave the faucets slightly turned on to avoid build-up of pressure.
Shut off the hose bibbs in winter.
Hose bibbs are outdoor faucets that are specifically created to accept a hose attachment. These need to be shut off before the freezing temperature starts so that no ice obstruction and pipe bursting can happen. Switch off the water supply towards the hose which is surely located inside your house.
Close all gaps, holes and cracks in the house.
Do this before winter in order to prevent freezing of your plumbing system. Seal all openings, fill in all the cracks and holes in order to contain warm air and stop ice from hardening, thereby increasing insulation inside your home. You can possibly find these crevices around your door and window frames, holes in the wall or floor for your cable wires or directly around the piping.
True, your heating bill may rise a bit as you keep the pipes warm and protected but it’s surely worth it, giving you no headaches caused by burst pipes.
