When temperatures drop below 10 degrees F, your pipes are at an increased risk of freezing and then bursting. Here are some tips to protect and prevent pipes from freezing:
  1. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets below sinks to allow warmer air to circulate around water supply pipes.
  2. Turn on cold water faucets to a slow trickle to keep water flowing.
  3. In extreme cold, set up a space heater in basement below the exposed sink pipes, or in front of open cabinets if you have previously experienced freezing pipes.
  4. Insulate any exposed water supply pipes in attics, basement or crawl spaces with "pipe sleeves" or similar.
  5. Insulate walls and ceilings in unfinished attic space.
  6. If your fridge is against an exterior wall, turn off the water line to the fridge.
  7. Set your whole house heat warmer than usual so in the event of a power failure, your baseline house temperature is warm.
  8. If the house is empty, set the thermostat no lower than 55.
  9. All this should have been done before winter: make sure all garden hoses are removed, your exterior water faucet is turned off, lawn sprinklers are turned off and swimming pools are drained.
  10. The best way to avoid freezing pipes is to locate water supply lines on interior walls, or if an exterior wall is unavoidable, build out the wall and pack it with extra insulation or bring the pipes up through the floor instead of the wall. We pay special attention to this in our design and planning.