With the extreme cold comes, what could be a potential nightmare for homeowners… FROZEN PIPES.
The city of Winnipeg says that so far this winter they have received 115 reports of no water due to frozen pipes inside a home. The good news is frozen pipes are preventable the bad news is that if they do freeze its the homeowner’s responsibility to fix.
Here are a few ideas to prevent water pipes from freezing (and possibly bursting):
- Insulate areas of your home containing water pipes, including crawl spaces, garages and attics.
- Insulate water pipes (both hot and cold) near the exterior walls, especially those facing north.
- Weather-seal your windows.
- Check for air leaks around electrical outlets, dryer vents and pipes. Seal these leaks with caulking or insulation to keep cold air away from your pipes.
- Heat areas of your home containing water pipes.
- Keep the garage door closed if there are water pipes inside.
- Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and appliances near outside walls.
If you already have frozen pipes here are a few tips to help you solve the problem:
- Hair Dryer – directing the hot air at a frozen pipe should help thaw the pipe.
- Portable Heater – increasing the heat in the area around a frozen pipe will eventually help thaw the blockage
- Hot Towels – Dipping towels in HOT water then wrapping the pipe will also help transfer heat to the pipe
- Electric heating tape – this is used to heat the pipe and eliminate freezing.
Make sure that if you so use an electrical device to help thaw your pipes that they are in good working condition and are approved devices for use in Canada. NEVER use an open flame like a blow torch or candle to thaw pipes. Open flames are dangerous and can easily cause a larger fire.
-Staff-
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