Cold Likely To Bring Plumbing Problems
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Glacial temperatures through the weekend will ramp up the risk of frozen and burst water pipes.
Temperatures are expected to be near zero across Northwest Arkansas this morning and aren’t projected to get above freezing at any point until Tuesday, bringing a challenge for the area’s plumbing.
Weather Tips
Preventing Frozen Pipes
Water expands as it freezes and puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. Pipes that freeze most frequently are exposed to severe cold, such as outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas such as basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages and kitchen cabinets. Also, pipes that run in exterior walls with little or no insulation are also subject to freezing.
Tips to prevent pipes from freezing:
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children.
w When very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe — even at a trickle — helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during the day and at night. You may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you're away, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55 degrees.
• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• Make sure your water meter lid is firmly on the meter box. Do not remove the lid because insulating air in the box will be released. If the meter has frozen before, pack newspapers, leaves or insulation around the meter in the box, replace the lid and cover it with leaves or insulating material.
To Thaw Frozen Pipes
If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Locate the frozen area of the pipe.
• Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt more ice in the pipe.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, and electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable material), or wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device. A blowtorch can make water in a frozen pipe boil and cause the pipe to explode. All open flames in homes present a serious fire danger, as well as a severe risk of exposure to carbon monoxide.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, call a licensed plumber.
• Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, as well.
Source www.redcross.org
“If we get some of that weather that goes to -4, we definitely are going to have problems with that,” Alicea Chester, a customer service cashier with the Fayetteville Water Department, said Friday, referring to today’s likely wind chills of -2 degrees and colder.
If precautions fail and water pipes are damaged, call the city water or meter department to get an emergency water shutoff, she added. A resident’s city is responsible for pipes up to and including the water meter, but from that point on the homeowner pays for damage.
Ice can rupture pipes because it takes up more space than liquid water, and once it starts freezing it can fracture rock, never mind the pipes under the sink. Ice can also simply block water from flowing to taps and fixtures.
Leaving outdoor water hoses connected to the house is one of the most common problems, said Dusty Hargis, a plumber with Fayetteville’s Mountain Mechanical Contractor.
Hoses can give ice a straight path through a home’s exterior wall, wrecking sheet rock and the hose fixture and causing other damage. The simple mistake can end up costing hundreds of dollars, Hargis said.
“You’re looking at 500-something to repair something like that,” he said.
Plumbers recommended covering exposed pipes with heat tape or other insulation, protecting them from the cold however possible. Crawl spaces should be sealed and garage doors kept closed.
“On the homeowner’s side, older homes without any insulation, they need to run the water a little bit,” such as keeping sink taps open at a trickle, said William Evans, water field manager for Rogers. “Anybody’s susceptible to it,” he added.
Tyler Johnson, owner of Johnson’s Hardware in Fayetteville, which sells plumbing equipment, suggested using blow dryers to try to thaw a frozen pipe before it bursts. He said several customers had ventured out despite snow-covered roads Friday.
Business was at a minimum for Bentonville’s Carr Plumbing on Friday, owner Bobby Carr said, but several successive sub-freezing nights could change that quickly.
“I think next week may really be the cold snap that will cause us to get busy,” he said. Monday’s lows are expected to fall into single digits again after a slight bump Sunday. “This hasn’t taken hold just yet.”