For homeowners, frozen pipes may be a huge hassle, especially in London’s colder months. These may not only be inconvenient but may also result in expensive repairs or even property damage. The good news is that you may take a number of precautions to keep your home’s pipes from freezing. We’ll look at some of the top strategies for safeguarding your pipes during winter in this post.
Keep Your Home Warm
Keeping your property at a constant temperature is among the best strategies to avoid frozen pipes. When it’s freezing outside, keep the heat on even if you’re not home. Set your thermostat to at least 55°F (12°C) if you will be gone for a long time. By doing this, you may prevent your home’s interior from dropping below freezing, which could lead to frozen pipes.
Insulate Your Pipes
Insulating the pipes is another method of avoiding frozen pipes. The pipes in your home’s basement, attic, or garage are particularly prone to freezing since these regions aren’t heated. These pipes may be kept warm and kept from freezing by covering them with heat tape or insulating them with foam sleeves. Both hot and cold water lines should be insulated since they both risk freezing.
Seal Any Drafts
By enabling cold air to enter your house, draughts can also lead to frozen pipes. Check your windows and doors for any gaps or cracks, then caulk or use weather stripping to seal them. Foam insulation can also be used to fill any gaps around pipes that enter your property.
Keep Your Faucets Dripping
Moreover, letting your faucets drip can assist avoid frozen pipes. Even a trickle of water flowing through your pipes might help keep them from freezing. Because stationary water is more prone to freeze than flowing water, this is the case. During exceptionally cold weather, it’s a good idea to keep a modest trickle of water flowing through your faucets.
Open Cabinet Doors
Open your cabinet doors as another approach to keep your pipes warm. The heat that circulates in your house might benefit pipes that are hidden under cupboards or under sinks. You can keep these pipes from freezing by opening these doors so that warm air can reach them.
Drain Your Outdoor Faucets
During the winter, outdoor faucets are especially prone to freezing. Turn off the water supply to your outside faucets and remove any water that may still be in the pipes to avoid this. Any hoses should be disconnected and kept inside. Make careful to properly empty your irrigation system if you have one to avoid any water from freezing inside the pipes.
Use a Space Heater
Consider utilising a space heater to keep pipes warm if they are located in an unheated room of your house, such as a garage or crawl space. While utilising a space heater, be careful to adhere to all safety recommendations and manufacturer recommendations, and never leave it unattended.
Install Pipe Heating Cables
Another technique for preventing frozen pipes is pipe heating wires. These heat-producing wires encircle your pipes and keep them from freezing. These can be especially helpful for pipes that are tucked away or for homeowners who worry about the possibility of frozen pipes.
Shut Off Your Water Supply
It’s a good idea to turn off your water supply if you’ll be gone from your house for a long time during the winter. This might lessen the chance that any water will freeze within your pipes while you’re away and cause harm. By closing your home’s main valve, you may stop the flow of water.
In conclusion, it takes some proactive steps to prevent frozen pipes in your London house, but the work is well worth it, so contacts us at LOCAL PLUMBERS LONDON.