During the winter months, one of the most common concerns people have is frozen water pipes. There is nothing more frustrating on a bitterly cold winter morning than to awaken to frozen, perhaps even burst water pipes.
Here are some tips to ensure that your water pipes don't freeze during the bitter cold of the winter months:
Use space heaters. Place a space heater, set on the lowest heat setting, under your sink, in your basement, or anywhere where there are water pipes in your home. Some space heaters have an emergency temperature setting designed for just this purpose. The heat will not only keep your pipes from freezing, but will also add some extra heat to your rooms such as basements and bathrooms, which are often among the most difficult rooms in the home to keep warm during the winter months.
If the bitterly cold temperatures of the winter months should cause you to lose power in the home, you will need another method for both heating the home and for keeping the water pipes from freezing. One of the best alternatives for keeping the pipes from freezing is to place a jar or plate with a large candle near the pipes to keep them warm and keep the water flowing. If you have any tea candles, arrange several of them on a large plate and place them about six inches under the pipes. The heat from the candles will flow up and keep the pipes from freezing. If you have any long stemmed dinner candles, line them alongside or under the pipes, spread five inches apart, to keep the pipes from freezing.
One of the best tools to use to combat frozen water pipes during the bitter cold temperatures of the winter months is prevention. Well in advance of the winter months, gather as many two or three liter soda bottles as you can. You can either use these for your water needs until the pipes unfreeze, or gently pour the water on the pipes to unfreeze them
If you are using water from a well, wrap the pipes coming from the inside of the well to the well pump and water tank either in old clothing, insulation, or in duct tape a few layers thick. For added protection, place
flashlight at the beginning of the pipe segment coming from the well to the pump.
Use these tips to avoid being without water on a bitterly cold winter night or morning.
Ronald Dwyer is an independent insurance agent licensed in Michigan for Home - Auto – Business Insurance. He can be reached at rondwyer@roninsureme.com or 248-390-6345. His website address is www.roninsureme.com , Linkedin address is www.linkedin.com/in/ronalddwyer and Facebook address is www.facebook.com/dwyerinsurance
