COLUMBIA, S.C. — With temperatures dropping as low as the teens in the coming days, homeowners are at risk of having water pipes freeze then burst. And frozen pipes can lead to thousands of dollars in damages for homeowners.
Local plumbers remind homeowners the best way to avoid frozen pipes is to keep the flow of water continuous. Consumer Reports says some short term solutions are keeping garage doors closed, letting cold water drip from faucets, and keeping the thermostat consistent throughout the day.
Some long term solutions are adding insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces
Teresa Wardlaw is the president of Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing and Refrigeration. She says homeowners need to take the first step to prevent a freeze from happening.
“I see that homeowners do not take those proactive steps," said Wardlaw. "The only time you find out is after they’re frozen so the best thing to do is to take these tips; insulate your pipes if they’re exposed to the outdoors. There’s lots of different things, the insulated covers for your outdoor spigots, running your dishwasher, leaving your faucet on a small trickle. The goal is to keep movement in that water so it doesn’t freeze.”
Derek Somero is a plumbing manager at Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing and Refrigeration and he says it is very easy for pipes to freeze during cold weather."
"Anything below 32 degrees is freezing so if it's going to get down to that temperature over night is usually when it happens," said Somero. "If the waters in the pipe just standing still its going to turn into like an ice tray and it's just going to freeze because the water has not where to go. And when it freezes it will expand in a lot of case and that will burst your pipes."
If your pipes do freeze, you can try a hair dryer or portable heater. If the pipe is not an external pipe, call a licensed plumber