frozen-pipes-water-damage-restoration-in-sioux-falls

While experts are available to handle water damage restoration in Sioux Falls, you can take precautions to minimize the chances of your pipes freezing and bursting.

How Can you Prevent Pipes from Freezing?

If you live in South Dakota, you know how cold winters can get. At what point do you have to worry about your pipes freezing, what can you do to prevent it, and what should you do if it does happen?

To understand how to prevent pipes from freezing, we’ll begin by taking a look at what causes them to freeze in the first place. Water has a unique property that causes it to expand as it freezes, which puts enormous pressure on the metal or plastic containing it.

water-damage-restoration-frozen

When water expands and freezes, it can break any pipe, regardless of its strength. Pipes are at an especially high risk of freezing when exposed to severe cold. These pipes are particularly vulnerable:

  • outdoor hose bibs
  • swimming pool supply lines
  • water sprinkler lines
  • water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets
  • pipes near exterior walls that have little or no insulation

If you have outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines or water sprinkler lines, you ideally prepared them for winter before the freeze. However, any water supply pipes within your house or garage are vulnerable throughout the winter if they are in unheated areas or near walls with little insulation. You should take extra precautions for these areas of your house as temperatures continue to drop.

Red Cross Tips

Here are some tips from the American Red Cross on preventing frozen pipes:

  • Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
  • Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Move harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
  • When the weather is very cold, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Run water through the pipe – even at a trickle – to help prevent freezing.
  • Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By keeping your house warmer overnight, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
  • If you will be leaving your house during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.

When Does it get the Coldest?

Because we handle water damage restoration in Sioux Falls, we took at look at the average low temperatures in Sioux Falls during the winter to help you prepare for potential problems. These are the times of year when you’ll have to be most watchful for frozen pipes.

As you can see, the coldest month, on average, is January. According to weatherspark.com, the coldest day of the year in Sioux Falls is, on average, January 10 (low of 6 degrees Fahrenheit). The coldest week of the year will typically occur from the end of December through the first part of January.

water-damage-restoration-in-sioux-falls-intek

What to do if Your Pipes Freeze?

If your pipes freeze and burst, you may end up making a call for water restoration in Sioux Falls. But if they are merely frozen and haven’t burst, you can unthaw them and prevent a potential disaster by following these steps (also from the American Red Cross):

  • If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, you probably have a frozen pipe. Pipes near exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation are the most likely to freeze.
  • Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.
  • Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame devices.
  • Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, the frozen area is not accessible, or you can’t thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.
  • Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.

Call Intek For Water Damage Restoration

Hopefully, your pipes don’t get to the point of freezing and you do not experience any water damage this winter. However, INTEK is available at a moment’s notice for eastern South Dakota water damage restoration. We also offer other services such as general cleaning, mold remediation, and more.

See our water damage restoration services »