Which Parts of Your Home Are Most Susceptible?

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Outdoor Faucets

Outdoor plumbing is vulnerable to extremely cold temperatures. Your outdoor faucets, connected to a water supply within the home, can freeze up and cause pipes to burst. That leads to flooding and other serious damage, explains Jake Romano, a professional plumber with John the Plumber.

However, there are easy ways to prevent frozen pipes. “Shut off the interior water valve for your outdoor faucets, disconnect your hose, drain it and store it somewhere safe,” Romano says. “Then open your outdoor spigot to drain the water in the line.”

Romano also suggests using hose bib covers to prevent outdoor faucets from freezing. Outdoor faucets or pipes that crack will need to be repaired or replaced. Consider replacing with a frost-proof outdoor faucet.

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Frozen Pipes

Frigid temperatures can also damage your indoor plumbing system and leave you with frozen pipes within walls. Some homes are more susceptible than others, with water supply lines or drain pipes in vulnerable, unheated areas like exterior walls, the attic and the basement.

“Look in your basement, crawl space, garage and attic for exposed pipes,” Romano says. “You can insulate them with pipe insulation or newspapers, and heating cables added to your waterlines provide additional protection.”

Waterline heaters have thermostats that will trigger the heat when it becomes too cold. Aside from that, be mindful of the temperatures outside. When it’s freezing, crank up the heat, open the cupboards with pipes inside them and let your water taps drip slightly. Any pipes that do crack will need to be repaired or replaced.

Note: Turn off the water to your home when you go on vacation or leave for an extended period of time to avoid costly damage should a pipe burst and go unnoticed while you’re gone.