Frozen Pipes Can Lead to Serious Damage in Your Kingston Home!

1/13/2020 (Permalink)

Just a few easy steps can help protect your home from frozen pipes this winter!

During the bitter cold of the winter months in Ulster County, frozen pipes are a serious concern we often get calls for. In fact, burst pipes are one of the biggest causes of water damage during the winter months, costing homeowners and insurance companies anywhere from $2,000 to over $10,000.

Why pipes freeze, why frozen pipes burst and how these factors can lead to water damage is an important part of keeping your household dry and warm during the wintertime. The understanding of the why is critical in doing your part to protect your home from water damages.

How Pipes Freeze? Why Do They Burst? 

When the weather is cold enough, the threshold is typically 20 degrees and under- any pipe can freeze. The most vulnerable are those pipes running through unheated areas such as exterior walls or basements, even pipes inside the home can become frozen if conditions are right (usually not maintaining a temperature above 55 in the home).

When the water inside the pipes begins to freeze, it can create issues as you will not be able to access running water. Additionally, pressure will begin to build behind the backup. If no effort is made to thaw them, the pressure inside will become too great and the pipe can actually burst open, leading to water damage. 

Ways Frozen Pipes Can Cause Water Damage 

Once a pipe bursts open, it often fails pipes further up the line, in between a closed faucet and where the blockage occurs and not where it’s frozen. This is usually inside a wall or under a sink, which may not be discovered immediately. This allows water to begin coursing through the breakage and flow freely through your home, often affecting more than one level and therefore increasing the likelihood of contaminants from building materials flowing through as well.

Easy Ways to Prevent Pipes From Freezing 

There are steps that homeowners can take to prevent their pipes from freezing and avoid costly water damage: 

• If you are leaving for a long period of time, make sure the heat stays set to above 50 degrees. Arrange to have someone check on your home often, you don’t want to return to a block of ice.
• Leave faucets on a slight drip so water is constantly running through the pipes, specially in non-insulated rooms like garages and basements.
• Open cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom and ensure all the bedroom doors are open to increase airflow. 
• Add insulation to exterior areas with water pipes and/or to the pipes themselves. Insulation is very inexpensive and only takes a few minutes to put on the pipes that are vulnerable.
• Keep garage and cellar doors closed tightly if there are water lines inside. Consider extra window and door insulation in these specific areas to help keep the warmth in.

SERVPRO of Kingston/New Paltz has the experts in the Water Damage industry. We’re ready to help 24/7, call us whenever you need us at (845)255-4334!