How To Keep Your Pipes From Freezing As FL Shivers Christmas Weekend

FLORIDA — With an arctic blast chilling even Florida by Friday night, temperatures are expected to drop to the low 30s for several nights. Patch has tips on how to keep your pipes from freezing and potentially bursting.

Just how cold is it going to get during this pre-Christmas winter storm? The Tampa region is under a freeze watch, with sub-freezing temperatures as low as 30 degrees possible from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

A second freeze watch, with temperatures as low as 31 degrees, will be in effect from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday.

The watches cover Polk, Hardee, Highlands, coastal Pasco, coastal Hillsborough, inland Hillsborough and inland Manatee counties.

Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing, the NWS said.

It's important to know how to prevent your home's water pipes from freezing. Frozen water pipes can be messy and expensive to fix, but if you have a frozen faucet, you can safely thaw out a water line without burning down the house.

Joseph Gonzalez, president of the Henry Gonzalez Plumbing Company, told WFLA the two main ways to keep your pipes safe in the cold are wrapping them in foam and letting faucets.

He suggested purchasing Armaflex foam at a home improvement store and wrapping it around pipes. Thick blankets and cardboard boxes can also protect pipes during a cold spell.

Or, let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

The Red Cross offers these tips to prevent pipes from freezing:

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• 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 up out of the reach of children.
• When the weather is 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.
• Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and pipes, and use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55 degrees.
• Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to un-insulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.
• Keep any garage doors closed if there are water pipes or supply lines in the garage. If attached to home, consider opening the door to the garage to allow home heat to enter the garage. DO NOT use kerosene or other fuel fed heating devices in the garage to heat it.

If Your Pipes Do Freeze...

• If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber.
• If your house is flooding, turn off the water valve and immediately call 911.
• You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe with the warm air from a hair dryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe. DO NOT use a blow torch or any other open flame to try and thaw out potentially frozen pipes.
• Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it. Likely places for the water turn-off valve include internal pipes running against exterior walls or where water service enters a home through the foundation.

If you have a pipe that bursts, AAA shared these tips to help you file and manage insurance claims.

• Make a list of the damaged articles and take photos.
• Save the receipts for what you spend — including additional living expenses if you must leave your home until repairs are completed — and submit them to your insurance company for reimbursement.
• Standard homeowners policies will cover most of the kinds of damage that result from a freeze, such as a burst pipe.
• If your home sustains water damage, it is important to make sure that it is properly dried and repaired to prevent any potential problem with mold. Remember, mold cannot survive without moisture.
• Check with your agent or insurance company so you will be sure what your policy covers.

Why Frozen Pipes Are a Problem

Water expands as it freezes. This expansion puts extreme pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor water faucets, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets. Also, pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are also subject to freezing.