How to protect your pipes from bursting

11/23/2021 (Permalink)

Your pipes freezing can cause bursts like this and lead to devastating water damage.

Many properties in the state of Michigan are unattended during the winter months. They could be a vacation home that only gets used in the summer, or a primary residence where the owners have gone south for the winter. While your house remains empty during the cold winter months, the risk of your water pipes freezing and bursting rises exponentially. Even a relatively short trip away can cause serious damage to your home if the proper steps aren't taken before hand.

? Insulate your pipes. Pipe insulation can be one of the most effective and cost efficient methods of preventing your pipes from freezing. Almost all pipe insulation fits easily over the outside of the pipes, and some forms of insulation can protect to temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius.

? Let faucets drip. While this may sound counterintuitive at first, running water has a much harder time freezing than standing water. Letting the faucets drip can also help relieve pressure in the pipes so that if water does freeze, the pipes are less likely to burst.

? Leave the heat on. While you may be running the heat in an empty house, keeping the heat on will help prevent your home from dipping into freezing temperatures. You don't need to keep it as warm as you would if it were occupied, 55 degrees or higher is appropriate to keep your pipes safe.

? Open interior doors. To some degree, most homes have an uneven distribution of heat throughout the structure. Leaving all of the interior doors open helps circulate heat evenly throughout the home.

? Drain your pipes. Removing the water from your pipes is one of the best ways to prevent pipe bursts. With no water standing in the pipes none can freeze, and with the water main turned off to the house, no water would pass through on the chance you experienced a burst.

Dealing with water damage from burst pipes? Give us a call! 616-647-4300