Be Ready to Prevent Pipes from Freezing

Virginia has a moderate four-season climate that is typically humid in summers with mild winters, but there is tremendous variation over the Commonwealth and from year to year. There are those dry years, warm years, and cold and snowy years. Because of the usually mild winters here in Virginia, we do not often think of frozen pipes until an artic frost has arrived or when it is too late, and the pipes are already frozen. I was reminded this morning when I finally turned off the hoses. 

When sub-zero weather is in the forecast, we need to prepare our homes to prevent our pipes from freezing. According to Consumer Reports “burst pipes are one of the most common causes of property damage during frigid weather and can cost you thousands to repair. The pipes most at risk are those in unheated interior spaces such as basements, attics, and garages.” In Virginia, it is common to find bathrooms built above garages, or pipes running through the garage or an attic dormer. If you have a bathroom above a garage keep a small ceramic electric heater ($40) in the garage connected to a thermocouple that turns it on when the temperature in the garage falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn on the heating cube in the garage and check it functioning when you turn off the hoses in late fall.

The likely pipes to freeze are against exterior walls of the home, or are exposed to the cold, like outdoor hose bibs, and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets. Pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are also subject to freezing. It is easier to prevent pipes from freezing than to unfreeze them.

When the weather is forecast to fall into the single digits or lower open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around plumbing, especially if your sinks are on an exterior wall or against attic dormers, and in the most extreme weather run an extra ceramic electric heater overnight keeping that bathroom toasty while the rest of the house is at an energy saving 65 degrees.

In sub-zero weather wells with and without separate well houses can freeze. Keeping the temperature in a well house above freezing or your well pipe insulated can prevent this. It used to be easy, that inefficient 100-watt incandescent bulb gave off enough heat to do the job, but now with more efficient bulbs, insulation and another source of heat is needed. An electric blanket can do the job. Deep wells are unlikely to freeze, it is usually a supply line not buried deep enough. Abnormally cold snaps can identify a private well line that was not buried deep enough at its most vulnerable point where it connects to the foundation.

Letting the water run in very freezing weather can work; however, can also create other problems. While running water may prevent the water supply lines from freezing, in the coldest weather the slowly running water might cause the drainpipe to the septic system (if you have one) to freeze and block the flow or even burst, and it can overwhelm a septic system. If you are on public water and sewer letting water trickle can prevent frozen pipes. You will see a significant increase in your water usage (still cheaper than repairing the damage from a burst pipe).

Frozen pipes can happen in your supply line or other parts of the house. There are things you can do to prevent frozen pipes. A couple of ceramic electric heat cubes, thermocouple, electric blanket, and a little strategy can prevent frozen pipes if there is heat in the home. However, electric heat pumps are extremely common in Virginia and becoming more so as various climate related programs push to transition to all electric households.

If the power should go out during a freeze, there may be no way to prevent the pipes in the home from freezing. Turning off the water at the main may be your best option if the power goes out and you do not have a generator or backup gas heat. Battery backups can help keep essentials running.

Whatever you do, do not run a gas-powered generator in the house and be wary of propane heaters not meant for interior use. We have a shop propane heater designed for indoor use and comes with an oxygen depletion sensor. These sensors detect the oxygen level in the air and turn off the propane. We also have battery operated carbon monoxide (CO) monitors throughout the house.

CO is an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you. This silent killer shows up any time you burn fuel, and it can quickly take over a home. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may resemble the flu (vomiting, dizziness, headache). So, use the CO monitors.