How to Protect Your Pipes from Freezing this Winter

The Importance of Taking Care of Your Pipes

Cold weather and frozen pipes tend to go hand-in-hand. With Iowa’s below freezing temperatures, snow, ice and other harsh elements, it’s necessary to do everything possible to minimize any chances of damage to homes, apartments, and business buildings.

Burst pipes are one of the most frequent sources of property damage and can result in water damage restoration due to flooding.

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

To reduce the likelihood of frozen pipes and any damage to your property, there are a few steps you can take:

• Unscrew any hoses that are connected to a faucet or waterspout. This is one of the main causes of frozen and burst pipes.
• Produce a slow drip throughout all faucets when the temperature is freezing or below freezing.
• Along with dripping faucets, it’s important to open the cabinets below your sinks to allow warmer air to circulate around your pipes.
• Keep your garage doors closed, especially if your water supply line is in your garage.
• Leave your thermostat set to the same temperature throughout the day and night. Don’t turn down the heat to save money, this can lead to freezing overnight if the temperature gets low enough.

How to Fix Frozen Pipes

If you find your pipes are frozen, don’t panic. There are solutions for thawing frozen pipes, as long as your pipes haven’t broken or cracked yet.

1. Ensure your faucet is turned on. This is necessary to do first before any other step.
2. Apply heat to the pipe section that is frozen. You can do this by wrapping the pipe in a heating pad, towels soaked in warm water, or using a blow dryer or a space heater. It’s important to stay away from open flames and high temperatures as they could easily damage your pipes.
3. Once your pipe is thawed, check other pipes throughout the area to ensure no other pipes have frozen.
4. Lastly, if you are unsure what pipe is frozen, or you find that your pipe has burst, contact an experienced plumber

If you are experiencing property damage from busted pipes, Surface Repair Service can help! Our experienced team of technicians will walk you through the process and revive your space to look and feel brand new. Give us a call at 515-276-5453 or request a quote here.