How to Avoid Costly Damage From Frozen Pipes

When most homeowners consider the damage that frozen pipes can cause, their assessments are isolated to the immediate area: the loss of the pipe, itself, and possibly some minor water damage where the pipe leaked before the valve was shut off.

But, the prognosis gets worse if no one is home to turn off the water or your system isn’t equipped with an automatic water shut-off valve. Water can not only leak and drip into other parts of your home, but prolonged water exposure can lead to internal damage to your walls and floors and mold growth that is hazardous to your health.

While the average cost to repair the burst pipe is between $200 and $1,000, according to HomeAdvisor, the cost to replace and repair other damages – like walls, ceilings, floors and furnishings – can run into the thousands.

Your Brooklyn plumbing experts at Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning offer the following tips to help you keep your plumbing warm this winter to avoid all the hidden damage burst pipes can cause. Read on to learn more, or reach out to us now!

Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes

1. Keep your home’s temperature above 55 degrees. Even if you’re going out of town for vacation, don’t turn off your heat – just set it at 55 degrees to keep pipes warm.
2. Let the faucets drip during cold snaps. Keeping water running through the pipes helps keep them from freezing.
3. Open cupboards, vanities and cabinets where pipes dwell. This is so they can receive some of the warmth from the home.
4. Make sure you know where your shut-off valves are. This allows you to easily turn off the water supply should your pipes freeze.
5. Take outdoor hoses off of the spigots. You can also install a shut-off valve to the outdoor spigot so that cold air can’t travel in from the outside.
6. Insulate pipes that might be exposed to colder air. You can either purchase insulation or insulated tape to wrap up the pipes.

And, if your pipes should burst despite your precautions, shut off your main valve as quickly as possible and call in professional plumbers to help your repair the pipe to avoid further damage.

Emergency Brooklyn Plumbers Are Standing By!

A burst pipe is absolutely an emergency because moisture can cause health hazards in addition to monetary damages. If your pipes burst, call Petri Plumbing & Heating immediately for emergency plumbing service. Let our 116 years in plumbing repair work for you!