How to keep pipes from freezing

With winter knocking on our doorsteps and the frozen weather being an accomplice, keeping your pipes from freezing is a necessity. Here, we’ll take a look at how to prevent frozen pipes, as well as how to defrost frozen pipes.

There are risks that come with frozen pipes which is why it is important to make sure that you’re initially preventing your pipes from freezing or defrosting your frozen pipes if they’re already frozen. 

Let’s take a look at the risks that come with frozen pipes:

• Injury: Frozen pipes can lead to flooding, which increases the risk of drowning. 
• Electrocution: Frozen pipes can cause problems with your home’s wiring, which could lead to electrocution, house fires, and electric shocks. 
• Boiler damage: Frozen water in the pipes can damage your boiler. 
• Limited water supply: Frozen pipes can limit the water supply to taps, showers, toilet cisterns, or your boiler. 
• Heating and hot water issues: Frozen pipes can stop your heating and hot water from working properly. 

Some warning signs of frozen pipes include:

Fortunately, there are signs that you can look out for that will tell you if your pipes are frozen and need to be defrosted. If you experience any of the following issues, your pipes could be frozen. 

• Gurgling sounds from your central heating when it’s on
• Your boiler won’t turn on
• Little or no water coming out of your taps
• Your sink is clogged and your toilet is flushing slowly

Preventing frozen pipes

So,  now that you’re aware of what to look out for when the colder months come, let’s take a look at some other things you can do to prevent frozen pipes. 

Has your boiler been serviced? 

The first step to take is to make sure that your boiler’s service history is up to date. Ensuring your boiler is serviced regularly will prepare your pipes and make sure your heating system is ready for the colder months. Make sure that you get your boiler serviced in the warmer months. 

Insulate, insulate, insulate

The next step to take would be to make sure that your pipes are insulated with tank jackets or pipe lagging. Make sure that you take the correct measurements with you to the store before purchasing to ensure that you buy enough to cover all of your pipes sufficiently. 

Once you have purchased enough insulation for your pipes, focus on areas like outdoor pipes, pipes in the colder areas of your home and water tanks. 

Make sure that you don’t forget to cover: 

• Heating drainpipes 
• Overflow pipes
• Valves
• Bends in pipes
• Outdoor taps

Warm airflow

Once your pipes and relevant fittings have been covered and insulated, you should focus on ensuring there is always warm airflow around your house. You can make sure that you’re encouraging warm airflow by keeping your thermostat on at least 7 degrees. 

Also, you can make sure to keep any latches open to attics or lofts to ensure that the warm air creeps around the entire house. Similarly, make sure to block out any breezes by keeping windows closed and sealing any edges that bring in draughts.

Fix leaking taps 

There’s an ongoing myth that if you leave your taps to trickle with water your pipes won’t freeze up,  but in actual fact, this has the opposite effect. 

Dripping water will cause frozen water to back up in your pipes, all the way back to your taps which can cause your pipes to burst. So, the moral of the story is to make sure that your leaking taps are fixed. 

Defrosting frozen pipes

You may find yourself in a situation where you’re faced with frozen pipes already and needing to defrost them. The first thing you’ll need to do is inspect your pipes, looking for any breaks or cracks along them. 

If you do happen to find any breaks or cracks, make sure that you turn off your main water supply. Once you’ve turned off the main water supply, be sure to call a professional to prevent any burst pipes or water damage. 

Thawing frozen pipes

If there aren’t any breaks or cracks in the pipes, you can begin defrosting your frozen pipes firstly by opening up the faucet as any water flow can help the thawing process. For exposed pipes, it’s best to wrap the pipes in a heated, damp towel. This is the safest option for defrosting frozen pipes. 

Also, you can aim a hair dryer on the pipes to heat the pipes up and to melt the frozen water. Equally, you could try and place a portable heater near the frozen pipes. Make sure that you move the heater around to different parts of the frozen pipes to encourage water flow once the frozen water melts. Try not to use an open flame, however, as this could cause the pipe to burst or cause damage to the pipes. 

When it comes to enclosed pipes, turning the thermostat up is the best way to defrost frozen pipes. In more drastic cases, you may need to access the pipes by making an opening in the wall and then using any of the above methods to defrost the pipes. 

For a more permanent solution, you could ensure that your pipes are insulated to make sure that they are kept warm. You should also ensure that certain areas of the house are insulated, such as attics, lofts or other crawl spaces. 

This will ensure that your house is kept as warm as possible, preventing your pipes from freezing and any further hassle that comes with this. 

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