Winter pipe watch
The winter pipe watch
Freezing is physics, and a little planning beats it. Water expands by about nine percent as it turns to ice. A pipe that is full and closed at both ends has nowhere for that to go.
1. Insulate what the cold reaches
Foam sleeves cost little and fit in minutes. Put them on every run you can see in the crawl space, the garage, the attic and the basement wall that faces north.
Seal the gap where a pipe goes through the wall, the rim joist or the floor
Unhook garden hoses and close the shutoff to outside faucets, then open the faucet to drain it
Leave the heat on in rooms you are not using, set no lower than the setting you would pick for a cabin
2. Let a tap drip on the coldest nights
When the forecast is well below freezing, open the cold tap farthest from where the water enters the house, to a thin steady stream.
Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls
A drip is not enough in a hard freeze; a thin steady stream is
Tell a neighbor, or turn the tap off when it warms up
3. Know where the shutoff is
The main shutoff is where the water line comes into the house, usually in a basement, a utility room or a garage, beside the meter.
Turn it off and on once a year so it doesn't seize
Tag it, and show everyone who lives there
If it won't turn, don't force it: call us, and say so on the phone
The season
The year of a pipe in Minnesota
Calls follow the weather. Here is what we ask people to do, month by month.
Step 1: October and November
Disconnect hoses, drain outside taps, wrap the runs you can reach, and have the furnace looked at before the first hard freeze.
Step 2: December to February
Watch the forecast. On the coldest nights, drip a tap, open the cabinets and keep the heat on. If water stops, call before it thaws.
Step 3: March and April
The thaw. Pipes that froze and held can split as they warm. Walk the basement after a thaw, and look at ceilings below bathrooms.
Step 4: May
Turn the outside taps back on one at a time and look at each wall for a drip. Open the cabin, and check the water heater room first.
Questions
Freezing and thawing
Which pipes freeze first?
The ones the cold can reach: pipes on outside walls, in crawl spaces, in garages and attics, and under sinks against the foundation. Lines that run through an unheated cabin are next.
How cold does it have to be?
It depends on the wind, the insulation and how long the cold lasts. A pipe in an exposed wall can freeze at temperatures a pipe in a heated basement never sees. We don't give a single number, because there isn't one.
Why does a pipe split when it thaws?
The ice often plugs the pipe and holds the split shut. When the ice melts, the water runs out through the split. That is why a pipe that seemed fine on a cold morning can flood a room by afternoon.
Does heat tape help?
It can, on a pipe that is hard to insulate, and it has to be the kind made for plumbing and installed as directed. Ask us before you plug one in, and never wrap it over itself.
Frozen now, or just worried?
Call. A plumber answers day and night, and will say whether it can wait until morning.