American Leak Detection News Releases

Winter's Here

Are Your Pipes Ready?

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - (Business Wire) Remember the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? It's true of many things - including winterizing your water pipes.

"Every year, according to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance companies pay out over $1.5 billion to property owners who report various weather-related disasters, including rupturing water pipes," says Stan Berenbaum, president of American Leak Detection. But if you follow some basic winterizing procedures, you can avoid both the cleanup and the cost.

Berenbaum offers these tips for protecting your pipes against the ravages of Old Man Winter:

Before freezing weather:

• Advise all household members where the main water shutoff valve is located in case of emergency.
• Make sure hoses are disconnected from outside faucets.
• Make sure water pipes in unheated parts of your home, including crawl spaces, are insulated.
• Seal all openings in the basement around the foundation, windows, and doors.
• Pipes in your basement that are close to windows should be insulated.

During freezing weather:

• If a water pipe freezes, NEVER thaw it with an open flame. You may start a fire! Use hot air from a hair dryer, the exhaust from a vacuum cleaner, heat lamps, heat tape, or electric heaters.
• Make sure you heat all rooms of your house that have plumbing fixtures. Water pipes in unheated rooms are subject to freezing and could cause extensive damage.
• If your sinks are on an outside wall, you can leave the cabinet doors open to allow the heat from the room to enter.
• Keep meter box lids closed during winter months to prevent cold air from freezing the meter. (Don't remove snow if you don't have to. It helps insulate the meter.)
• If you have experienced problems in the past during freezing periods and you have exhausted all other solutions, you can leave a trickle of water running from the faucet highest in the house. (This trickle should be a steady stream slightly larger than the lead of a pencil.)

For more information view our posting on Preventing Leaks During the Cold of 2010.