FROSTY tips
Those of us living in Western PA have seen firsthand how the temperatures can quickly change. One day it’s 50 degrees and raining and another day we get 5 inches of snow and barely make it to double digits.
In continuation from our last blog on what to do when your heat goes out, we thought it was a perfect time to share some tips to protect your home from freeze damage.
A single burst pipe can unleash hundreds of gallons of water per hour, causing thousands of dollars in damage to floors, walls and belongings. But, freeze pipe prevention is completely possible when you know what to do.
With a little help from F.R.O.S.T.Y., of course.
F is for Faucets!
Turn on every faucet in your home to a slow drip, both on the hot and cold side. The most important faucets are the ones on exterior walls or ones in unheated areas of your home, such as your basement.
We know you might feel like you’re wasting water, but that slow trickle offers a lot more reward than risk. Moving water is much harder to freeze than standing water and it helps disrupt ice crystal formation and relieve pressure from building up in your pipes.
R is for Remove!
Disconnect garden hoses, drain outdoor faucets and turn off interior shutoff valves to those outdoor faucets, if you have them. If you have an irrigation system, make sure it’s been properly winterized.
Water trapped in hoses has nowhere to expand when it freezes and you don’t want your pipes cracking from the inside out.
O is for Open Doors!
Head into your kitchen and open your cabinet doors under sinks, especially those on exterior walls. The warm air from the room will circulate around the pipes and help stop the freeze.
This can actually make a 10-15 degree difference in the temperature around your pipes. This is enough to potentially stop freezing all together.
S is for Shutoff.
Locate the main water shutoff valve for your home. If a pipe would burst, getting the water turned off quickly is vital to lessen any damage. A typical half-inch pipe can release 600-700 gallons of water per hour. That amount can cause catastrophic damage to your home.
Knowing where your shutoff valve is, and how to use it, eases stress in an emergency situation.
If the valve feels stuck or is hard to turn, contact us and we can help.
T is for Towels!
If you have exposed pipes in your home (think attics or crawl spaces) or even on exterior walls (perhaps in your laundry room) wrap them with towels to keep in the warmth.
You can also find foam pipe insulation sleeves at your local hardware store. These are a more reliable and affordable option to have on hand at home.
Y is for Yield!
Yield heat from other sources if you can. If you have a fireplace or a space heater, use it to keep your home’s temperature above freezing. Even maintaining temperatures in the high 40s to low 50s can prevent pipe damage.
You should never leave space heaters unattended and keep them away from flammable materials. If you’re using your fireplace, ensure your chimney has been recently inspected and cleaned.
We hope these FROSTY tips are helpful and an easy way to remember what to do when temps are low and tensions are high.
Don’t leave your home’s protection to chance. Contact Shafer’s HVAC today to schedule a heating system inspection or to discuss whole-home solutions for freeze prevention.
Our team of certified technicians bring decades of combined experience tackling this area’s toughest winter challenges. We’ll help you identify vulnerabilities, optimize your heating system and create a customized plan to keep your home safe all winter long.
