6 Ways to Keep the Water Pipes in Your Home Flowing Smoothly in Cold Weather

Little girl turning on sink faucet

Attention homeowners in Westchester & Putnam County, imagine this scenario; you get up tomorrow morning, looking forward to a nice, hot shower, but when you turn on the faucets, nothing comes out. You check other faucets in the house — again, nothing. Chances are you may have frozen water pipes.

Freezing temperatures turn water into ice. As the ice expands in volume, it creates more and more pressure on the pipes until they finally burst. The result: no running water, serious flooding, ruined belongings, and even structural damage, all of which can add up to inconvenience and costly repairs.

The best defense is a good offense, which means keeping your pipes warm enough to stay above the freezing point. For 100 years now, Robison Oil has enjoyed the reputation of being the leading full-service home comfort company. From Yonkers to Yorktown, Bronxville to Brewster, we are proud to serve homeowners throughout Westchester and Putnam with a full scope of home comfort services, including professional plumbing. Here, we want to share with you some simple tips to keep your water flowing and your pipes in peak condition all winter long:

  1. Keep the heat on — even if you’re away: The heat does not have to be kept as high as you normally would if you were at home, but keeping it set above 50 F should provide enough heat to keep the pipes warm and prevent any water inside from freezing.
  2. Let faucets drip a bit: This relieves pressure in the system and will prevent the pipes from bursting. If the faucet is served by both hot and cold water pipes, open both faucet taps slightly.
  3. Open all inside doors: Pipes are often located in cabinets. By keeping the cabinet doors open, heat is received from the rest of the house, keeping the pipes warm as well. Likewise, by leaving interior doors open, heat can flow throughout your home, increasing efficiency.
  4. Seal cracks and holes: These are inevitable wherever pipes run through walls or floors. Use caulk or spray foam insulation to fill the gaps, preferably on both sides of the wall or floor.
  5. Apply heating tape: Think of this as an electric blanket for your pipes, supplying heat directly to them. It is especially effective for sections of the pipe that are at high risk for freezing.
  6. Go for the Gold Standard: Long-term freeze protection, done by Robison’s highly skilled professionals, involves replacing standard outdoor faucets with frost-proof models or rerouting pipes away from cold spots inside your home.

At Robison Oil, our goal is to give you peace of mind when it comes to your home system needs. Count on our plumbing services to ensure that your home’s water pipes are problem free this winter — and all year long. Read more about how we expertly handle all of your plumbing needs and call us at (914) 345-5700 today for a consultation.

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