Avoid Frozen Pipes This Weekend With These 7 Tips
If you like cold weather you'll love the next few days. Wyoming is getting a visit from a polar vortex bringing sub-zero temperatures and bone-chilling cold.
With the extreme cold comes the danger of frozen pipes for homeowners. Mobile homes are at greater risk because there is very little protection from the temperatures underneath. But there are some measures you can take to avoid a costly broken pipe due to freezing.
1. Leave faucets on a trickle. Even if it's just a small trickle or a few drops your still moving water through them and are less likely to freeze.
2. Leave vanity and cabinet doors open while away and overnight. This allows the home's heat to get in and keeps it warm under your sink.
3. Inspect your skirting around the mobile home. Seal the gaps and make sure they are well insulated.
4. Heat tape. Most hardware stores will carry electric heat cables for your pipes. Tape it on your pipes and make sure it's plugged in. Quality tape coils will automatically turn on when a certain temperature is hit and turn off when it's warm enough.
5. Keep the thermostat at a constant temperature. Keeping it a constant temperature throughout the day will result in less likelihood of bursting pipes. Burst pipes are a very expensive problem. A polar vortex is not the time to try and save a few bucks on a heating bill.
6. Keep garage door closed. If you have a water line running under the garage, make sure the garage door stays closed as often as possible.
7. In the event that you need to thaw a frozen pipe, locate the freeze point and wrap a heating pad around the pipe, or even a hairdryer will do the trick. PLEASE do not be that guy who uses a blowtorch.
We should start seeing temperatures on the rise into the teen and perhaps into the low 20s by the middle of next week.
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