Burst Pipe - How To Avoid Them

Pipes are an important installment in your house and it is therefore important to know all the
factors that will affect their proper functioning. Varying temperatures may cause serious harm to
your pipes. When water freezes, it usually occupies more volume than when it is in liquid form.
Therefore, when temperatures fall during the winter season, the chances of a burst pipe increase
significantly. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to prolong the life of your
pipes.

Prevention

As the cold season approaches, you need to take some steps to protect your pipes from the
destruction of cold weather. First of all, take note of all the rooms in your home that usually
remain unheated. If they have pipes running through them, you might save yourself a lot of trouble
by simply wrapping them with padding material that is specially designed for this. Next,
disconnect all the pipes connected to taps. This will help prevent any water running through the
pipes undetected and freezing during the winter.

You should also allow water to run through your pipes at regular intervals in the cold months. Hot
water will be an additional benefit as it unfreezes any frozen water that may be accumulating in
your pipes. Additionally, you could also heat up the entire house. Since you may not be aware of
all the places that the pipes pass through, ensuring the entire house is warm will get the job
done. 

One last thing you should consider if you are unwilling to heat the entire house is to either
install lamps or space heaters along the pipes in rooms that you do not use. This will keep the
pipes from experiencing extreme temperature drops during the cold months. You don't ever want to
have to deal with a burst pipe, so make sure you take all the necessary prevention measures. 

Confirmation 

If you suspect that you may have a burst pipe, the first step you should take is to shut off all
your water devices, and then listen for any hissing sound. You may have a burst pipe if you hear
such a sound. In addition, check your meter to see if it is running even when all your water
devices are shut. If it is, then you may have a situation that may require the services of a
professional plumber.

In case the burst pipe is not caused by temperature changes, then it is advisable to always have
some tools ready for an emergency intervention. A clamp is one of them. Learn to use it before
disaster strikes, so you are able to remedy the situation to some extent in case a pipe actually
bursts. You should shut off the water supply to the pipe and then disconnect it from the rest of
the system to prevent unnecessary water loss.
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Posted by Blackstock Electric http://blackstockelectric.com/