| Updated: 1/03/2008 8:06 am |
Published: 1/02/2008 10:22 pm |
As the temperature drops, there are some things you should always do before you go to bed to make sure you don't wake up to frozen pipes in your home.
The plumbers FOX16 talked with say 99-percent of the homes in the Little Rock area that they see don't have properly insulated pipes and that could cause big problems if they burst.
We caught up with master plumber Joe Wolfe at a Little Rock home to find out what you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing. "Close these things off. Get them closed. They're kind of hard sometimes, but that way any cold air can't blow up under your house," advises Wolfe.
Wolfe says open the vents back up for circulation once it gets warmer, but for now you have to keep cold air away from your pipes. “It's definitely a good investment to get your pipes insulated under there and this house in particular doesn't have insulation under there, so it's something they need to get done," says Wolfe.
If you can get under your house yourself, the fix is as easy as a trip to the hardware store. "The pipe comes with a slit so you can just you know slide it over the pipe," says Wolfe.
Wolfe says cover any pipes directly outside with one-inch insulation. If you have any outside hose bibs, you're going to want to cover them with insulation and also take off the hoses and keep them somewhere like in your garage.
Step inside, and check your water heater. Make sure it's insulated. Also, it's a good idea to leave any faucets with pipes along outside walls dripping so the pipes don't freeze.
Wolfe offers this final tip about the cabinets under your sinks. "It might not be a bad idea to leave those doors open to let that heat get up in there."
