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Protect Your Pipes Against Freezing

By Acme Homes 2-23-2023

Our Acme Homes team loves that we get to enjoy all four seasons here in Washington. That being said, your home requires different care depending on what season we are currently in. For those in Snohomish in February, Winter home care mainly comes in the way of protecting your pipes against freezing.

Why is protecting your pipes against freezing so important? If you are a first time homeowner and this is your first Winter in your home, you may not have had to worry about this before, but if you do not take proper measures to prevent your pipes from freezing, they can burst and cause extensive water damage. Needless to say, you definitely want to avoid that. And prevention is the key. So the next time you see frigid temperature coming your way, protect your pipes in these ways.

Insulate At Risk Piping

Certain pipes are particularly at risk of freezing and should be given a little extra attention. Some examples include pipes in uninsulated areas of the home like in the garage. Pipes in cold and drafty areas of the home like those in the basement should also be looked after. To provide these at risk pipes with added protection, cover them with foam pipe insulation.

Turn Up the Thermostat

When freezing temperatures are on the forecast, you can help your pipes by keeping the house warmer than you may normally keep it. It doesn’t need to be for the entirety of Winter, but just on the days when temperatures are supposed to be below freezing, keeping your home a few degrees warmer can keep water moving freely through your pipes.

Keep Faucets Dripping

Another preventative measure you can take when temperatures dip below freezing is to keep your faucets running. It does not have to be a full stream, just keep the lines open enough that there is a drip. This helps keep the water moving so that it does not have a chance to freeze. And you do not have to keep all faucets dripping either. Just make sure that the ones that are in the coldest parts of your home are running.

Open Cabinet Doors

And finally, one more practical thing you can do to keep your pipes from freezing is to leave your sink cabinets open. Leaving the cabinet doors to your kitchen and bathroom sinks open will expose the piping there to the heated air inside your home. On really, really cold nights, you may even place a space heater next to these areas as an extra measure.