To help keep your pipes from freezing, think about preparing your home during the warmer months. Insulate pipes. Because exposed pipes are more susceptible to freezing, pipe insulation in your home's crawl spaces and attic may help even if you live in a climate where freezing is uncommon. Try heat tape or heat cables.
Move around your crawl space and apply heating tape on pipes. There are heating tapes that have to be added and removed according to the temperatures. However, you can also opt for heating tapes that automatically turn on and off by determining the temperatures. Observe the surroundings that are close to your pipes.
Because crawl spaces are partially exposed to the outside environment, even brief spells of cold air can freeze the water in the pipes running through this area. If you live above a crawl space that isn't sealed or properly insulated, your pipes could freeze during winter.
You can use spray foam, foam insulation, self-sealing foam insulation, fiberglass covers, tubular sleeve covers, and pipe gap insulation. All of these are viable options for you to insulate your pipes. The most popular option is spray foam.
The rule of the thumb is that it takes roughly 6-hours for water in your pipe to freeze after left in an unheated area. Meaning if you lose power at your home and the weather is reaching below freezing point, you have approximately 6-hours until the pipes will begin to freeze.
We all know that freezing begins at 32° F or 0° C, but at what point do pipes freeze within our own homes? Temperatures only need to drop to about 20° F for a few hours to put exposed pipes at risk.
What Temperature Should I Keep My House So the Pipes Don't Freeze? As explained, 55 degrees is usually considered the lowest thermostat setting to avoid frozen pipes.
For many residential plumbing applications a PE pipe insulation product like Tubolit® and Tundra® is the perfect option. Economical and easy to install, PE foam insulation will prevent pipes from freezing and keep hot pipes hot and cold pipes cold.
The leading product for underground use is Armaflex Tuffcoat. This industry leading underground insulation is based on Armaflex Class O Nitrile Foam insulation which has an additional wrap-around self-seal plastic coating. This makes the product very easy to install.
Pipes are most likely to burst when exposed to below-freezing conditions for six hours or more, which can happen throughout winter and early spring. Burst pipes could lead to a disaster, bringing severe water damage to your home.
Crawl space heaters can be a great solution for homes with cold crawl spaces, as they provide a way to heat this often neglected area. Crawl space heaters are typically installed along the floor joists, providing warm air to flow through the crawl space and preventing frozen pipes or mold growth issues.
Pipes that freeze most frequently are: Pipes that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and water sprinkler lines.
Apply heat to the frozen area
There are several ways to do this. You can wrap the pipes in thermostatically controlled heat tape, or you can use an external heat source such as a hair dryer or space heater.
The most common method of pipe insulation is foam tubing, primarily because it is inexpensive and very easy to install.
Fiberglass insulation is the most thoroughly tested insulation material available.
Spray Foam Insulation
This results in the pipe freezing and sometimes bursting. Adding spray foam insulation to the interior wall of a crawlspace or basement will stop that cold air infiltration, and allow the pipe to remain in a conditioned space insulated from that cold air.
Winterization is essential for any home affected by cold weather. Winterizing your crawl space will help you avoid damage from burst or frozen pipes, as well as save you a lot of money on energy bills.
With this in mind, expect most pipes to freeze within six to eight hours. Uninsulated exterior pipes can freeze in under six hours if the temperature is below 20 degrees. It takes at least 12 hours for unprotected pipes to freeze at 32 degrees.
The average home will stay warm for 8-12 hours after the power goes out. After the first 8-12 hours, most homes will experience a gradual cooling over the course of the next couple of days.
Most air conditioners allow you to set a temperature at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If the temperature outside is below that, it isn't advisable to turn the air conditioner on as its coils may freeze and it may become damaged over time.
Typically, an unheated basement will stay between 50 and 55 degrees, assuming there are no gaps to the outside. Most frozen pipes happen when they are inside the exterior walls above the basement, not in the basement.