Winter no wonderland when water pipes freeze

In the past week, North Georgians have awakened to below-freezing temperatures. When outside temperatures drop below freezing, water pipes exposed to the outside or in unheated areas such as crawl spaces and storage sheds can freeze and burst.

When the pipes thaw out, the resulting flooding can cause considerable damage to your house as well as a high water bill. Depending upon when your house was constructed, there are some steps you can take to help ensure against frozen pipes.

Newer homes

If your house is relatively new, (built around 1970 or later), there are likely auxiliary cut-off valves for your hose bibs (outside faucets) located in your basement or crawl space. The valves are typically located inside the basement or crawl space just behind the hose bib.

If your house is constructed on a slab, these valves may be located under kitchen or bathroom sinks or even in a storage area under the stairs to the second story. Locate a valve that looks like a hose bib handle rather than the smaller handles for the sink cut-off valves.

You should turn the auxiliary valves off (clockwise) and open up the hose bibs (counter clockwise).

This will drain the water out of the sections of pipe located in areas subject to freezing.

Older homes

Safety cut-off valves were often not installed in homes constructed before 1970. In this case, pipes located in areas where they may freeze can be wrapped with pipe insulation.

This insulation is typically a foam material with an inside diameter the size of the pipe. One side of the insulation is slit open to fit over the pipe.

Traditionally, homeowners have let their hose bibs drip to avoid freezing. With our current drought conditions, however, this is not such a good idea.

Instead, consider installing foam covers over the hose bibs. These covers are readily available at hardware and home improvement stores. The covers hold some of the heat radiated from the inside of the house to help avoid freezing.

In extreme cases, usually 10 degrees Fahrenheit or less, insulation may not be enough.

In this case you can install “heat cable” on the pipe. Heat cable is an electric wire with a built-in thermostat. The wire is installed along the pipe, usually under pipe insulation.

A thermostat in the cable senses the pipe temperature and warms the cable and then the pipe before the pipe becomes cold enough to freeze. The heat cable must be plugged into an electrical receptacle.

As with any electrical appliance, make sure to observe all the safety precautions on the cable packaging. Both pipe insulation and heat cable are readily available at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Already frozen pipes

If you are too late and your pipes have frozen but have not broken or burst, you can thaw them out, but you must be careful.

Excessive heat on the pipes, like from a torch, may damage gaskets or seals in valves. It is best to thaw the pipes out slowly using a hair dryer or space heater.

Again, use caution and common sense when using an electrical appliance in a manner different than it was intended for. If you are not sure whether the pipe is damaged, you should turn your main water valve off while thawing the frozen sections of pipe.

Once they are thawed, turn the house water back on slowly, checking frequently for leaks.

Assistance from another person is helpful here.

Do you have a home repair question? Send e-mail to Ask the Inspector at homestyle@ajc.com.