January 5, 2018


frozen pipe

There are tips that you can follow to ensure that your pipes don’t freeze and burst this winter.

As we deal with this unusually cold winter, many homeowners cringe at the prospects of rising gas and electric bills. If you live in St. Louis, you know that the weather can be unpredictable. When it comes to winter, there is nothing worse than a cold snap that keeps everyone indoors and can compromise your pipes. One pipe leak can lead to flooding, water interruption, and huge costs. Instead of trying to clean up afterward, prevention is the best medicine to ensure that your pipes don’t succumb to the cold weather and wreak havoc on your home.

St. Louis HVAC contractors and plumbers have to follow certain guidelines about where pipes and heating and cooling vents can be located, but that doesn’t always work to protect them from freezing when the coldest weather sets in. However, there are tips that you can follow to ensure that your pipes don’t freeze and burst.

Keep your Cabinets Open

If you have a plumbing or HVAC piping underneath your cabinets, then leave the cabinets open. When the doors are shut, it is hard for the heat to get to them to prevent them from freezing. If you leave the cabinets open, it will help in two ways. First, the heat and moisture won’t get trapped in the cabinet, whether it’s under the faucet or the hall closet. Also, it will ensure that heat gets to the pipes so that they can’t freeze and break, which means you win all the way around. If your plumbing or HVAC systems are hidden inside doors, open them up and let them air out.

Let Water Drip from Your Faucets

If you want to make sure that your pipes don’t freeze, then one way to do so is to make sure that there is a steady and constant drip from the faucets. Although this may seem insignificant, leaving the faucets dripping will keep your pipes from freezing and bursting. Just a small trickle is all that is needed to make sure that you don’t wake up to a puddle of water on your floor.

Seal Any Drafts or Cracks Around Your Home

To keep your furnace from running overtime and risking your pipes cracking, make sure to seal up cracks around doors and windows. Not only will it prevent any cracks in your pipes, but it will also cut back on your heating costs. Heat escapes too quickly around the cold spots when the temperature dips. The best line of defense is to take the offense when it comes to stopping those leaks from the inside and out.

The best way to keep your HVAC running efficiently throughout the cold weather months is to take steps to ensure that your pipes don’t freeze and that you are maximizing the efficiency of your HVAC to keep your house comfortable. Call a St. Louis HVAC professional to evaluate how to keep your pipes safe and to keep the warm air in and the cold weather out this winter season.

Call Scott-Lee Heating Company (314) 200-0788 or fill out our online contact form for a Free Consultation.