How To Keep Water Lines From Freezing In Attic

In one saturday s worth of work you can end up saving yourself thousands of dollars.

How to keep water lines from freezing in attic.

There are number of steps you can can take when learning how to keep pipes from freezing in the first place. Cold temperatures can cause water pipes to freeze. Wherever water supply lines pass through the attic foam pipe insulation sleeves should be installed on all exposed spans. You may even want to place small space heater in front of the cabinet doors to keep pipes warm.

Insulate pipes located in the attic and crawl space using pipe insulation even if the climate where you live does not often have hard freeze conditions. A small pump to recirculate the water should keep it above freezing as well maybe tied into a thermostat so it only runs when the temp drops. Because the reality is if you end up with a burst pipe in your attic due to freezing the amount of water damage is going to be extensive. 3 tips to prevent leaks due to freezing attic pipes.

Again though if the power goes out all bets are off. Run the lines under the insulation in your ceiling next to the heated drywall. Freezing in a pipe creates a lot of pressure inside the pipe and can cause the pipe to burst and likely lead to serious flooding especially when there s no one around to turn off the water. Another extremely cold weather time tip is to keep your faucets on i e allow a little water to trickle down in your crawl space pipes.

Pipe insulation is often remarkably inexpensive and it is a small investment compared to the repair costs of a burst water pipe. You can also wrap pipes in heat tape or heat cables with a thermostat control. If you have to drill holes in ceiling joists be sure they are at least 2 inches from ceiling to prevent accidental puncturing from drywall screws. The best prevention against frozen pipes is to keep them warm enough to stay above the freezing point.

If a span of pipe is particularly vulnerable to low temperatures. Freeze proof water supply. Use heat tape on problem pipes. Something like blown in cellulose is better at insulating and blocking air movement which is death to water pipes.

Within minutes water will travel throughout your attic down your wall cavities and through your ceiling. There are many ways to keep water supply lines from freezing when they can t be buried below the frost line but the trick is making it all happen reliably and with minimal electricity use. Open cabinet doors under the sink if you have pipes inside or close to an exterior wall.