I looked into this a little while ago.
The moving water can help prevent freezing in the pipes, but even when it can not, the most common cause of burst pipes is pressure building up between between the freeze and closed valves. On the supply side, there is usually some give in the system, but the short run of frozen to faucet has little to no room for expansion.
So, leave the faucet open especially if the pipe freezes, until the water runs free again to reduce the risk of
a burst pipe. Even a slow drip will relieve the pressure.
Beyond that, planning ahead, better insulation around pipes, or draining the system if you going to be gone for an extended period of time. (and don't forget to put a little anti-freeze in the traps in your sink if there is problem with freezing under the sink.
My parents had a seasonal use cabin, and part of the ritual was to turn on the water in the spring, and turn off (and drain) the water in the fall. (including the anti-freeze in the traps or toilet). We'd use it in the winter, but it was outhouse, bottled water, and melting snow as alternate.
dave
On 1/8/14, 8:39 AM, Cindi Wass wrote:
The moving water can help prevent freezing in the pipes, but even when it can not, the most common cause of burst pipes is pressure building up between between the freeze and closed valves. On the supply side, there is usually some give in the system, but the short run of frozen to faucet has little to no room for expansion.
So, leave the faucet open especially if the pipe freezes, until the water runs free again to reduce the risk of
a burst pipe. Even a slow drip will relieve the pressure.
Beyond that, planning ahead, better insulation around pipes, or draining the system if you going to be gone for an extended period of time. (and don't forget to put a little anti-freeze in the traps in your sink if there is problem with freezing under the sink.
My parents had a seasonal use cabin, and part of the ritual was to turn on the water in the spring, and turn off (and drain) the water in the fall. (including the anti-freeze in the traps or toilet). We'd use it in the winter, but it was outhouse, bottled water, and melting snow as alternate.
dave
On 1/8/14, 8:39 AM, Cindi Wass wrote:
The big chill is over for a time here (Pennslvania). It got REALLY cold - but today it's "warm." (25 F) I heard to leave the doors open by the sink cabinet underneath so the pipes wouldn't freeze. I opted to leave the faucet drip. I just got one of those new-fangled faucets with one lever for both cold and hot. I got concerned because the cold water just stopped running, everything came out hot, hot and hotter. I figured maybe the cold water line was frozen. But I kept the lowest turn to cold water I could get the handle with a slight drip. After about two hours I noticed a surge in the water and it was streaming out, not going by drips. My cold water is back, I figure if it WAS getting frozen and not running it thawed out somehow. And today all is well.
But I am nervous about the next freeze, especially as we'll be away for at least a month. Uh oh, now what do I do about going away for a month? I could ask a neighbor or friend to stop by on those cold, cold days. Maybe I will do that.
-- Dave Uebele (daveu@sptddog.com)
__._,_.___
| Reply via web post | Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic | Messages in this topic (10) |
Please send decorating questions to Interior Motives List - to subscribe send an email to: Interior_Motives-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
.
__,_._,___
No comments:
Post a Comment