With a Minnesota winter comes freezing temperatures and with freezing temperatures come frozen pipes. When pipes freeze they run the risk of bursting and causing other majorly messy problems. In fact, did you know that frozen pipes are one of the leading causes of property damage in winter? So when you are having this type of problem with your pipes, it is important to have them repaired as soon as possible. Frozen and burst pipes fall under the category of a plumbing emergency because they can cause a lot of damage fast. As the trusted emergency plumber for Minneapolis and the surrounding areas, we would like to offer some additional facts about frozen pipes and how to prevent them. But, if you do encounter this major plumbing problem, don’t hesitate to contact our emergency plumber right away and we can work to remedy the problem as soon as possible.
Insulate Properly
It is important to insulate pipes most vulnerable to freezing by using pipe insulation. You should also seal and insulate any attic penetrations such as vents, plumbing stacks, electric and mechanical chases.
Keep Warm
Even if you go away for a few days or longer, you should never turn off your heating system completely. If temperatures drop and your pipes freeze, you could be welcomed home to a big mess. With new technology it’s easy to install a monitoring system that provides notifications if your home’s or business’ temperature dips below a pre-determined number. You should also have a reliable backup power source to ensure heat to the building even in a power outage.
Properly Seal the Exterior
Make sure to seal all cracks, holes, windows, doors, and other openings on exterior walls with caulk or insulation to prevent cold air from penetrating the wall cavity. If cold air penetrates the wall cavity it can directly impact the pipes and cause them to freeze.
Ideally, it is best not to expose water pipes to subfreezing temperatures, by placing them only in heated spaces and keeping them out of attics, crawl spaces and vulnerable outside walls.
Frozen water pipes can lead to burst pipes if proper precautions aren’t taken so be sure to follow these essential steps to protect your plumbing’s pipes!
This winter, if you open a faucet and no water comes out, don’t take any chances. Call our emergency plumber straight away. If a water pipe bursts, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve and call us as soon as possible. To contact an emergency plumber for your Minneapolis area home, call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422 or you can contact us for a Free Estimate.