As the temperatures start to dip below freezing in Texas, homeowners insurance agencies are spreading the word to their customers.
Do not let your pipes freeze or you could be in for an unpleasant surprise!
According to insurance agents, it is easy to forget that this can happen especially when living in a place where it might only get cold enough to freeze pipes a few nights the whole year.
The problem is that all it takes is one cold snap for a few days to create a home disaster as well as a claim to your home owners insurance.
Instead of dealing with all of that, use these easy tips to winter-proof water pipes so burst pipes are not an issue!
How Cold Is Cold Enough to Burst A Pipe?
A common question that homeowners have about the possibility of their pipes freezing in winter and causing damage that results in a call to a home owners insurance agent may be along the lines of how cold is cold enough to actually freeze and burst a pipe?
The temperature going below freezing for a night or two is not likely to cause much trouble; however, if there is a cold snap where it goes down to 20 degrees or lower for a while, it is definitely possible.
Uninsulated pipes that go into your house will start to freeze in just six hours with temperatures below 20 degrees.
As unlikely as it might seem in many parts of Texas, insurance companies stress that homeowners should be aware of this so they can take the necessary steps to prevent frozen and potentially bursting water pipes.
How Can Pipes Be Prevented From Freezing?
The right way to prepare for a cold snap that does happen even in Texas is to use these home owners insurance tips for prevent pipes from freezing in the first place:
- Insulate - Insulate any outside or unprotected interior pipes and once done, it can be left like that for future winters!
- Use A Heat Tape - An electric heat tape can be especially useful for warming pipes outside the house on a very cold night.
- Let It Drip - If it is going to be really cold for just one night, insurance agents suggest turning on a couple of faucets in the house to a slow drip because water continuously moving through the pipes will help slow freezing further down in the pipeline where the freezing would take place.
- Maintain A Constant Home Temperature - A key to preventing water pipes from freezing where they go into the ground and avoiding a call to your insurance agency is to keep them warm enough inside the house. Do this by keeping the whole house warm and opening cabinets to expose the plumbing as well as keeping the thermostat warm overnight on especially cold nights.
- Disconnect Hoses and Open Spigots - Remove hoses from outside spigots. If possible, turn them off from the feed line inside and winter with the spigot open.
- Close the Garage Door - If there is any plumbing that passes through the garage, leaving the garage door up even for a few hours during the day could allow those pipes to freeze so avoid that by keeping the door closed.
- Keep the Heat On When Away - Avoid a home owners insurance claim by leaving the heat on even if leaving the house for a while. Maintain a temperature that is well above freezing to ensure the pipes won’t freeze on a surprise cold night when you are not there.
Take Simple Precautions To Prevent Burst Pipes This Winter
A burst water pipe is a homeowner’s issue that can result in extensive damage and a claim being filed to home owners insurance.
According to insurance agents, the best way to avoid this problem is to prepare in advance to prevent it from happening.
Using these easy home tips, pipes can be kept warm all winter even if there is a surprise cold snap in order to avoid a phone call to your homeowners insurance agency!
