MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – With these sub-zero temperatures come a host of problems for homeowners. And not just higher heating bills.
Anytime the temperatures are below 20 degrees, frozen pipes are a major concern, and the next few days, we’ll certainly put them to the test. We spoke to a local plumbing contractor who says letting the faucet drip is a proven way to prevent it from freezing.
“Obviously, running water is less prone to freeze than standing water or still water. So even turning your sink or your shower on for a few minutes, or if you’re going to be gone from your house for quite a while, to just leave the faucet dripping a little,” said Kaylee Birman from Prime Specialty Contracting.
But you don’t need to open up your faucet that much. A simple drip, drip, drip, will do the trick.
I would say just a tiny drip. As long as the water is consistently dripping. It doesn’t need to be a strand of water that’s running. It can actually just be drip, drip, drip,” said Birmann.
Although it may slightly increase your water bill. It’s minor compared to the expense and hassle of replacing frozen or worse, burst pipes.
“Signs that someone is headed to trouble, or if they’re worried about their pipes freezing, you’re going to start to see water pressure, maybe delay a little bit, or it’s not going to be as strong. The temperature of your shower or water doesn’t heat up quickly enough. Those are also signs,” said Birmann.
Another suggestion is to open up the cabinets below your sink. This will allow warmer air to get to those pipes.
“That will just kind of allow some heat to get into those cabinets. If you have a crawl space or an attic area that isn’t insulated as well, I would also recommend putting some temporary heaters or some space heaters in there,” said Birmann.
And don’t forget to let it drip overnight, because no one wants to wake up to an ice water pond in their kitchen and an expensive visit from your plumber.
