Insulate Your Pipes and Your Water Tanks Wrap your pipes in the colder areas of your home with insulation covers and insulate your water tanks especially in colder places. Use foam rubber or fiberglass sleeves to help decrease the chances of freezing.
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.
The best way to "winterize" a house is to drain and blow out the water lines. Vacation homes in very cold climates often have connections to do that. And yes on the antifreeze for the toilet and ALL P-traps; kitchen sink, bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, washing machines, etc. Use RV antifreeze, not auto antifreeze.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
Moving water keeps pipes from freezing. Find shut off valves for emergencies. Insulate pipes in unheated areas. Open cupboards and vanities to warm pipes.
If you live in a climate with freezing temperatures, you'll want to cover your outdoor faucets in the winter rather than dripping them. Even with a vigorous drip, frigid temperatures can travel through your faucet and freeze the connecting pipes. Before using a cover, you'll need to properly winterize your faucet.
Insulating your pipes and water tanks is one of the best ways to prevent them from freezing. You can buy inexpensive pipe lagging and tank jackets from most DIY stores and fit them yourself for free. Just make sure you check the pipe and tank measurements first.
Generally, a house will stay warm for 8–12 hours after losing heat. However, without intervention, it will eventually reach outdoor temperatures. If temperatures are frigid outside, maximize the warmth by gathering the family in a small room, wearing many thin layers, and placing towels around windows and doors.
Antifreeze for homes is a liquid that contains chemicals that lower the freezing point of water, protecting pipes and other plumbing components from bursting. Without anti-freeze, residual moisture in plumbing systems can freeze and expand, causing cracks in the pipes, joints, or other fittings in a plumbing system.
Pipes typically burst when exposed to extremely low temperatures for an extended period of time (anywhere from 1-3 days depending on temperature). This is especially true for pipes located on exterior walls. A frozen pipe is likely to burst when any water or liquid trapped within it freezes and begins to expand.
'Although it might not seem like a big deal, leaving your attic door or hatch open during freezing weather can help to prevent a whole host of home maintenance issues, such as preventing ice dams on roofs, frozen pipes, and mold growth,' begins Jay Sanders, contractor and owner of Castle Dream Construction.
Your pipes are at risk of freezing any time temperatures drop below 32°F. However, it's much more common for pipes to freeze when temperatures dip below 20°F. The longer the weather remains below freezing, the more likely it is your pipes can freeze if not properly protected and winterized.
With severe cold temperatures, even the tiniest of openings can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
So, exactly how cold does it need to be before you do this? Southern Living says professionals list the threshold temperature for pipes to freeze at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning this or anything below can create a potential for water to turn to ice in your pipes.
Keep the heat on in your home even if you are on vacation or away for an extended time. Frequently pipes freeze and burst while homeowners are away on vacation and have turned off their heat. No one wants to come home to frozen pipes and potential water damage.
Losing your home's heating is considered an emergency when it's 40 degrees or colder outside.
Yes, pipes can freeze overnight if temperatures plummet drastically. Uninsulated pipes in unheated areas like attics or exterior walls are most vulnerable.
Insulate pipes in your home's crawl spaces, attic, and garage. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. The more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes are. Wrap pipes with heat tape or thermostatically controlled heat cables.
Whether you plan to leave for a vacation or for the season, most heating and cooling professionals recommend setting the thermostat to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will reduce your heating costs and minimize the risk for hazards such as frozen or burst pipes and flooding.
For hidden pipes: Use an infrared lamp to target frozen areas. You may need to make an opening in your wall to access the pipe. For exposed pipes: Use a hair dryer, infrared lamp, portable heater, heating pad, heat tape, or steamed towels to apply heat (never use an open flame).
Overall, it's best that you take heed and drip your faucets when temperatures dip below freezing. A simple trickle of hot and/or cold water—both from faucets inside and outside the home—can prevent you from having to deal with a much larger issue (and bill!) in the long run.
Freeze Miser protectors helped us do much during the last big freeze and kept our water troughs going for the cows. This customer chose to rate the product and not provide text. The freeze misers worked as advertised, keeping my outside hose bibs from freezing during extended temperatures well below freezing.
If your home is equipped with interior shutoff valves leading to the outside faucets, turn off the valve, then go outside and turn on the outside hose bibs until all remaining water in the line drains out. Water left in your pipes will freeze, expand, and possibly burst your pipes.