Massachusetts can be a very cold place in the wintertime! (Burrrrโฆ. !) Your New England house, condo, or commercial building needs to be managed somewhat differently in the winter than during the warmer months. One wintertime danger that should be mitigated against is the possibility of frozen pipes. In freezing temperatures, your pipes could freeze over and become severely damaged. This blog post covers what causes pipes to freeze, how to help prevent your pipes from freezing, and what to do if you have frozen pipes.
What Causes Pipes To Freeze
Freezing temperatures in unheated areas (like attics, crawl spaces, and basements) coupled with poor insulation, draftiness, and/or cracks in walls or holes around pipes causes pipes to freeze. If the temperature drops quickly, especially below 20ยฐF, pipes are more likely to freeze. Weโve also found that extensive wind chill makes pipes freeze faster in Massachusetts. Lastly, underused pipes are more likely to freeze than pipes that are used often.ย
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How To Prevent Frozen Pipes
The main way to prevent your pipes from freezing is to keep the area around the pipes warm (at least 55ยฐF) and well-insulated. Prevent and repair cracks in walls and holes around pipes so cold air does not get inside. Cold air can easily enter your home or building and make temperatures by pipes much cooler if there are cracks or holes in your home, especially around pipes. You should even open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air from your home to circulate around your pipes. Also, itโs important to use pipes often by running water regularly (even just dripping) so water has less of a chance of freezing inside your pipes.ย
Hereโs a more detailed list of things to do to prevent frozen pipes before and during a freeze:
- Proper insulation: Ensure your home is properly insulated in general. Apply foam insulation sleeves or heat tape around pipes located in unheated areas like basements, attics, or against exterior walls.
- Repair cracks and holes: Cold air can enter your home or building and make temperatures much cooler if there are cracks or holes in your home. Plus, youโll save some money on heating and cooling!
- Maintain indoor temperature: Keep your thermostat set to a temperature above 55ยฐF, especially during freezing weather.ย
- Access to pipes: Open cabinet doors under sinks to allow warm air (from inside the home) to reach your pipes.ย
- Dripping faucets: Let faucets drop slowly to prevent water from freezing inside pipes.ย
- Find vulnerable areas: Focus your efforts on pipes located on exterior walls or in unheated spaces as they are most susceptible to freezing. However, a New England polar vortex could freeze pipes not in these spaces if the above conditions are not met.
- Locate shut-off valves: This is super important. Know exactly where your main water shut-off valve is located in case of an emergency.
- Drain outdoor faucets: Before a freeze, turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets and drain any remaining water from the outdoor faucet lines.ย
What To Do If Your Pipes Freeze
May Property Management is here for you if your pipes freeze! We help facilitate insurance claims, fix pipes, repair damage, and more. We will work to get water cleaned up and everything in your space back to normal. We negotiate with your insurance company to get money for damage and the repairs, but there is typically a deductible required on your end. Condo claims are a bit more complicated, as two simultaneous claims must be negotiated (the Master Policy and the Homeowner Policy). However, you donโt need to fret. We take care of everything. Give us a call at 508-808-8508 for an instant and transparent quote.
Repair Your Frozen Pipes Today
If youโve been unfortunately graced by the harsh winter weather in Massachusetts and your pipes have frozen, give us a call at 508-808-8508 or fill out the form. We can help!
