5 Ways to Prevent Pipe Bursts and Home Leaks in Low Temperatures

Over the winter, your pipes are at risk of freezing and bursting. When it’s cold outside, poorly insulated pipes can cause the water in your pipes to freeze and expand, leading to a burst pipe. Once this water thaws, it can leak out of the burst pipe and any other damaged pipes in your home. Since leaking water and burst pipes can create a huge mess and cause a lot of damage, it’s essential you know the top five ways to prevent pipe bursts and leaks in the winter.

1) Insulate Your Pipes

One of the best ways to protect your pipes from freezing and bursting is by insulating your pipes. Typically, pipes can be covered with materials like fiberglass or insulation to keep them warm and stop cold weather from freezing the water inside. As you insulate your pipes, you’ll want to focus on insulating those in unheated areas, such as your attic or basement pipes. You’ll also want to cover those in exterior walls due to their closeness to the outdoors.

Since pipes can be challenging to locate and insulating them can take some time, it’s often best to turn to a seasoned plumber to insulate them for you. A trained plumber can ensure that all your high-risk pipes are covered with the most effective insulation. While they insulate your pipes, they can also check for any existing leaks and repair them to ensure your piping system is in great shape and ready to handle the cold.

2) Keep Your Cabinets Open

When it gets cold outside, you can easily protect your pipes by opening your kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors. If the temperature has dropped below freezing, closed cabinet doors trap cold air inside them, raising the risk of your pipes bursting. 

Fortunately, stopping cold air from getting trapped inside your cabinets is easy to fix. Opening up the cabinet doors in your kitchen and bathroom will allow warm air from your HVAC system to get inside. As a result, your pipes will stay warmer and will be far less likely to freeze.

3) Don’t Turn Down Your Thermostat at Night

While turning your thermostat down at night can help you save money on your utility bills in the winter, it’s not recommended during a cold snap. If you turn your temperature down at night, you’ll raise the chance that your pipes will freeze. So instead of turning down your thermostat, keep it at a consistent temperature during the day and night until the cold snap ends.

4) Add More Insulation to Your Home

Another way to prevent pipe bursts is to add more insulation to non-heated parts of your home. For example, pipes in crawl spaces, garages, basements, and attics are at a higher risk of freezing, as these areas aren’t typically heated. While insulating your pipes in these areas is essential, you can improve their protection by adding insulation to the areas themselves.

Insulating unheated areas will protect your pipes from freezing temperatures, as insulation stops cold air from entering your home and hot air from exiting it. Alongside protecting your pipes, more insulation in your home will help your HVAC system run more efficiently and reduce your heating bills.

5) Repair Any Pipe Leaks As Soon As Possible

Before a cold snap, it’s crucial you prevent home leaks. While leaking pipes are a problem on their own, they’re especially dangerous during the winter, as the existing damage to the pipe could raise the risk of a pipe burst. Besides the danger of the pipe bursting, pipe leaks can increase your utility bills and cause water damage to your home.

To prevent home leaks, you can schedule a professional repair by a trained plumber. A certified plumber can fix any existing leaks you might have noticed, and they can provide a full inspection of your piping system to find any leaks you might not have seen. A complete inspection can also reveal any potential clogs or other issues that might affect your piping system’s health, allowing you to stay ahead of problems and keep your pipes in excellent condition.

Choose Bonney for Plumbing Service in Sacramento

If you’re looking for plumbing services near you in Sacramento, Bonney can help. Our expert plumbers can inspect your plumbing system, insulate your pipes, and provide various pipe repair and replacement services to ensure your plumbing system runs at its best over the winter. We also offer emergency plumbing services when a pipe repair or leak just can’t wait. Additionally, our multiple coupons and financing options make it possible for our clients to receive any of our plumbing services at a price meeting their budget.

Learn more about our plumbing and water line services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us.