Winterizing The Plumbing System
Written by Scott Rodgers on November 4th, 2009 in Misc.
If the temperature inside a house gets below 0 Celsius, it’s likely that the water supply pipes and the drain traps will freeze. When water freezes it expands 9 percent, and if there is no room for expansion it’s possible that the pipe will burst.
When the pipe starts defrosting, it will leak and the leak can be anywhere through out the supply system. This can be very damaging, even more than a burst pipe and can cost a lot of money.
A properly-insulated house built to current building codes will probably never experience this problem under normal conditions. Normal conditions mean- the heating system runs properly, the electricity supply stays on, and the furnace fuel supply never runs out.
It is very important to build the house properly keeping everything in mind to avoid any problems later on. In an older house, you can add insulation during the remodeling. If there is a need to remove the drywall, you can get the inner side of the walls insulated. Besides that, foam insulation is a good option for the inside face of the studs, or for the outside walls before siding is replaced.
More insulation can be added to the attic, if there is access. These are worthwhile improvements because they also reduce the home’s heat loss and therefore reduce the amount of energy needed to heat (and cool) the home.
Making many changes in the home can cost a lot of money. So, a less expensive solution to this problem is to apply electric heat tape around the pipe. It is controlled thermostatically so becomes active automatically when the temperature is very low.
Another easy solution for this problem is to allow one faucet to drip water. This keeps water slowly circulating throughout the water pipes and prevents freezing.
The usual advice is to let the faucet run with a stream of water about the same diameter as a pencil. If a house has hot and cold water lines that are vulnerable to freezing, then the stream needs to be warm water. This is a waste of energy, but sometimes that’s the only solution available.
Scott Rodgers is a well-known author who has been providing great guidance on plumbing works all over the country. His stupendous knowledge has, in fact, sparked significant rise in revenue for talented plumbers across the nation, from Pomona Plumbers to Boca Raton Plumbers .
