How to Prevent Frozen Water Pipes in Your Home Crawlspace

Winter comes every year in Indiana. The extremely cold weather should not come as a surprise to Hoosiers, and it has some unfortunate consequences for those who are not prepared. The cold can cause pipes to freeze and can create a big headache for homeowners in Indianapolis. When water freezes, it expands. This is bad news for water pipes. Frozen water puts stress on pipes and can cause them to burst, no matter what material the pipes are made of. There are a many quick and simple ways to prevent your water pipes from freezing, saving you time and money.

Open cabinets and doors

Keeping the whole house warm including the cabinets under the sink will ensure that the pipes are staying warm and therefore unlikely to freeze.  On days and nights when the temperature drops below freezing it is extremely important for the pipes to have access to heat from your home.  The pipes under your sink usually touch an outside wall and then run down through your crawlspace. Opening cabinet doors is a simple task and will help keep your pipes from freezing.

Keep the water running

When it becomes cold outside and freezing pipes are a worry, keep your faucets turned on. Only a trickle is recommended, you don’t want a huge water bill.  The running water will prevent the pipes from freezing due to the fact that the water is moving.

Do not turn down the heat

Even if you are planning on going out of town, do not let your home temperature fall below 55° F. The temporary increase in your heating bill may be annoying, but it will cost significantly less than having to replace bursting pipes due to extreme cold temperatures.

Insulating water pipes

A number of products exist to insulate water pipes including pipe sleeves, heat tape, and heat cable. Even newspaper is known to provide protection against the cold, but only in areas that do not remain below freezing for long periods of time.  Insulating pipes and the surrounding area is a very easy and effective way of preventing water pipes from bursting.

Encapsulation

Crawl space encapsulation, or the process of sealing a crawl space, is possibly the most effective way to keep crawlspaces from dropping to extremely low temperatures. This by no means is a DIY project. It involves specific knowledge and tools. Hiring pro

fessional to do this job will ensure it is done right the first time.  Sealing out cold air from entering the crawl will ensure your pipes do no freeze in the crawlspace.  By encapsulating the space you will have a long term and efficient way of keeping your pipes from freezing for many winters to come.  Give us a call for a free no cost estimate.  1-317-893-7016