Seven Ways to Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing

• January 20, 2016
• 3 Comments

by UrbanTurf Staff

There have been scattered reports that DC might see a few flurries (read: up to two feet) of snow starting this Friday. The frigid temperatures that could accompany this storm could have a number of real estate consequences, one of those being frozen pipes in buildings and houses across the city.

Below is a quick list of ways to prevent what can be a common winter occurrence:

• Drain and disconnect any hoses that are attached to the property and cover outdoor faucets.
• Close the inside valves that control the water supply to outside hose attachments.
• Drain water from swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines.
• Turn one faucet in the house on to just a drip.
• Keep the temperature in the home set to 68 degrees or higher.
• Install products to insulate water pipes, such as a pipe sleeve or heat tape. Pipes near exterior walls and in crawl spaces are the most important to insulate.
• Open cabinet doors where pipes are located to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/seven_ways_to_prevent_your_pipes_from_freezing/10777

3 Comments

1. Gav said at 9:40 pm on Wednesday January 20, 2016:
   Apart from being an stupid waste of water, leaving the faucet dripping will not prevent the pipes from freezing. The flow rate is still too slow for the temperatures expected. The Potomac was frozen this morning and temperatures are predicted to get much colder.

1. EckingtonNEDC said at 5:40 pm on Thursday January 21, 2016:
   @Gav... I've always read in very cold weather to have pipe drip water to help keep the water pipe(s) from freezing. Myth? 😃

1. Zestious said at 6:32 pm on Thursday January 21, 2016:
   @GAV, http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2014/01/you_know_the_drill_run_the_pip.html#comments