3 Ways to Prevent a Burst Pipe

As a Trinity homeowner, one of your biggest concerns during the cold weather season may be related to burst or ruptured pipes. Freezing temperatures can cause the water inside your home's pipes to freeze. When this happens, the frozen water creates internal pressure on the pipes.

In some cases, this pressure is significant enough to burst the pipe open. This can result in considerable damage to the home as well as costly repairs, so you certainly want to avoid having to deal with this issue if possible. These are a few of the steps you can take to reduce the chance of a burst pipe.

Close Your Garage Door

When you open your garage door, the temperature inside the garage will easily drop to the outdoor temperature, or it may be even lower in some cases because of the shade inside the garage. In many homes, there are pipes that run in the walls between the garage and the main living area of the home, and a freezing garage increases the chance of these pipes freezing and bursting. During freezing weather, open and close your garage only as needed to keep the temperature in the garage higher.

Let Your Faucets Drip

Another important step that you can take is to allow your faucets to slowly drip when the outdoor temperature is below freezing. Moving water will not freeze as easily as water that is standing still, and a dripping faucet creates movement inside your pipes. A slow drip may be sufficient when temperatures are close to freezing, but if temperatures are far below this level, you may need to run the tap at a slow stream.

Leave Cabinet Doors Open

When you turn your faucets on to allow them to drip, you can also open your cabinet doors for additional benefit. The air in the cabinets is isolated from the main area of the room that is heated by the furnace, and this means that the air is colder. When you open the cabinet doors, you allow the exposed pipes underneath to be warmed by the room, and this can warm the water inside the pipes as well. This additional bit of warmth may be what is needed to prevent the pipes from bursting.

Protecting the pipes of your Trinity home is a top concern during cold weather conditions. These steps can all be taken to reduce the chance of a rupture. However, if you do have the unfortunate experience of dealing with a burst pipe, contact a plumber to schedule an emergency repair as soon as possible.

Avoid a costly pipe burst with these key tips! Call Roman Plumbing at (727) 858-3412 for repairs in your Trinity home.