Frozen Water Pipes
Frozen water pipes. No other words can strike such fear into the hearts of homeowners in cold climates.
Most houses, especially older ones that are not as energy efficient, have an area where the pipes tend to freeze. In my house a powder room in the front of the house has the pipes for the sink run through a crawl space under the bathroom floor. They freeze every winter. So far we have always caught them before the burst.
In 2007, there were about $150 million in insurance claims nationwide for damages caused by frozen pipes, said Jeff McCollum, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill. Figures haven’t been calculated for 2008, but Mr. McCollum doesn’t expect a decrease in claims. “I’ve seen four or five this week alone,” he said.
What can you do to prevent the pipes freezing?
In our bathroom we have solved the problem by putting a space heater in the bathroom and heating the small room to a very warm temperature. If we will be away from the house for any sort of extended time, like a vacation, we drain the pipes and turn the water off to the bathroom. On bitter cold days when the temperature drops to the negative digits without the windchill, I turn the faucets on to drip in the other faucets on the first floor of our house.
One way to prevent those pipes from freezing is to lay electrical heat tape along their length. The tape, which contains wires that become warm when plugged into an outlet, comes in lengths of 6 to 50 feet, and costs $4 to $5 a foot at hardware stores and home centers.
Foam rubber or fiberglass insulation can also be used to cover all exposed lengths and joints of the pipe if electrical solutions are inappropriate.
If the area where the pipes are freezing are concentrated to one specific area, you can direct a heat lamp towards them, similar solution to the one that we employ by heating up the tiny powder room.
Insulate, insulate, insulate. Block the incoming drafts.
