PROTECT
YOUR PIPES
How to Stop Freezing PIpes
How to Protect Your Home from Freezing Pipes This Winter
Freezing water pipes are more than just an inconvenience. Each time a pipe freezes, it becomes more likely to rupture, potentially releasing catastrophic volumes of water into your home. Preventing frozen pipes is a key step in protecting your home, your family, and your wallet.
Plan for Proper Pipe Placement
Ideally, water pipes should only pass through the warm, heated portions of your home. However, design constraints, remodeling projects, and additions often make this difficult to achieve. If you have pipes running through exterior walls or cold attics and basements, it’s essential to take steps to prevent them from freezing.
Can I just install pipe insulation?
Pipe insulation performs two functions. On hot water pipes, pipe insulation keeps the hot water in pipe between you water heater and shower warm longer. On cold water pipes, pipe insulation prevents condensation forming on the cold pipes on hot humid days. Unfortunately pipe insulation does not stop water pipes from freezing in a freezing basement, attic, or exterior wall.
Best Approach - Bring Your Pipes "Inside"
Your pipes are freezing because they are matching the outdoor temperatures rather than your home’s indoor temperatures.
The first and best approach to preventing frozen pipes is insulation. Pipes exposed to cold should be separated from the outside by adequate insulation:
• Exterior Wall Pipes: Open the wall and install rigid foam insulation behind the pipe, between it and the exterior. This keeps the pipe exposed to the warmth inside your home while shielding it from outside temperatures. Leave the wall open by covering the hole in the wall with a louvered vent cover.
• Pipes in unheated basements are especially vulnerable. The best long-term solution is to insulate and air-seal the entire basement. One a windy day use an incense stick to find all spots air is leaking into your home. Seal these cracks and openings with acoustic caulk. Simply reducing air infiltration may be enough to keep your basement consistently above freezing. If not, rigid foam panel insulation solution such as “In-So-Fast” are designed to be used in basements. Properly air sealing and insulating the basement ensures that all pipes within it are protected.
• Pipe leaks in unheated attics can be devastating since leaking water also damages all the finishes and belongings in the house below. Once again, the best long-term solution is to insulate and air-seal above the pipes. All insulation between water pipes and the warm house below should be removed. Then create a taped air-sealed box or channel over the water pipes with rigid foam insulation board. Caulk the box to the top of the drywall “floor” to air seal. Inexpensive batt insulation can be piled on top of the foam board box or channel.
Immediate Approach - Add Heat Cables
Last Resort - Drain The Problem Pipes for the Winter Season
Enjoy the Winter
For immediate protection, heat cables can be a lifesaver. These cables, which resemble thick extension cords, come equipped with a temperature sensor. When the sensor detects that the pipe’s temperature has dropped below a threshold (e.g., 40°F), the cable produces heat via electric resistance. One downside is that heat cable will not protect your pipes during a power outage or when heat cable is accidentally unplugged.
Here’s how to use them:
1. Attach the heat cable to your pipe using electrical tape per manufacturers instructions.
2. Wrap the pipe and cable with fiberglass insulation.
Note: Most heat cable manufacturers do not recommend using foam insulation around the cable due to fire risks.
We recommend installing heat cables with a smart outlet (insert brand later) that includes an app. This allows you to track how frequently your pipe is in danger of freezing and under what weather conditions.
Heat cables can act as a backup solution even after insulating your exterior wall, basement, and attic — offering a “belt-and-suspenders” approach to pipe protection.
Frequently a house will have only one or two “problem” pipes that freeze. This could be the water supply to an added first floor bathroom (previously a coat closet) or the water supply line to the refrigerator.
If it is impossible to insulate or add heat cable to the problem pipes, consider draining those pipes for the winter season. A plumber can add a shutoff and drain spigot to the warm portion of the supply pipe. Each year before freezing temperatures, the problem pipe can be shut off and drained. This means that the impacted bathroom or refrigerator will not have water for two to four months each winter. This inconvenience makes this approach a last resort.
By following these steps, you can safeguard your home from the costly and damaging effects of frozen pipes.
Stay warm and prepared, Heroes, and keep protecting your home, your family, and your wallet!
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