Frozen water pipes can cause costly damage with flooding and replacement pipes, but with a little bit of know-how it is avoidable by Annapolis Property Services. If you’re a tenant it may be worth speaking with us to see if your landlord would consider helping to protect your home. The top things to do to prevent pipes freezing before the temperature drops is:
Pipe Protection
1. Insulate the pipes. If you can get to all the spaces your pipes run through then use insulation from your local DIY store to prevent the temperature getting too low. Attics and basements are the common places for problems. If you can’t insulate the space then have a look at insulating the individual pipes.
Prevent your Pipe
2. Keep your heating on. If you’re going away it’s tempting to save some money by switching your heating off. This is a big mistake in the winter months. If temperatures suddenly drop low enough you could quickly have frozen pipes and be miles away unable to sort out the consequences. Keep the heating on, but set the thermostat to low – low enough to save you a few dollars but high enough to stop the pipes freezing
Allow Your Taps to Drip
3. Faucets. If you know temperatures are going to be below freezing then go against your environmental daily check list and allow your taps to drip a little. Running water through the pipes will help prevent freezing.
But, if disaster strikes and you have a burst pipe, what should you do…. Firstly, you must turn off your water. When you initially move into your rented property it is worth spending an hour working out where various meters are and understanding how to switch things off in an emergency. Then contact a plumber or Annapolis Property Services to get the problem fixed. It might be worthwhile taking some photos for insurers too.
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