Toronto plumbers find a lot of cases of frozen pipes all over Canada. It’s not uncommon (especially later in the winter) that pipes freeze up and burst, posing a huge convenience and inefficiency issue. Plus, inefficient plumbing wastes energy and puts an unnecessary strain on your appliances and water heating devices.
We’ve found that a few easy tactics work better than anything else when preventing your pipes from freezing this winter:
Open Up the Cabinet Doors
Often the plumbing located right below sinks is extremely susceptible to freezing and breaking because it isn’t well insulated. When you open up the cabinets, you let a little bit of heat into a space. If you’re really worried about the pipes (like in your bathrooms) you can even place a small electric heater in front of these spaces to keep out the cold.
Turn Up the Thermostat
You don’t have to crank the heat to feel the heat from this tactic. When the temperatures drop, the best option is to simply raise the temperature of the open air to insulate free space. This ambient air insulates your pipes better than nothing.
Foam Board is Great for Larger Areas
If you’ve got especially large areas to insulate, you can use a barrier made of foam to keep out the wind, drastically improving ambient temperatures. Even if the board is only set up temporarily, ensure that the board is at least 1 1/4 inches to 1 5/8 inches thick, and hung sturdily with coarse threaded drywall screws.
Install a Heating Cable or Small Heating Lamp
It’s easy to prevent pipes from freezing if you’ve got room to install a few heat lamps, shop lamps, or heating cables. Follow manufacturers’ directions, and don’t go overboard when you’re wrapping cables around pipes. If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can even place a space heater around unprotected pipes in a crawl space, with the goal of keeping the temperature above freezing.
Either Leave a Drip or Turn Off the Main
Sometimes the best decision (especially in Toronto when it gets extraordinarily cold) is to simply turn off the water at the main for the night if you’re convinced that your pipes are going to freeze to minimize damage.
These are just a few of the myriad of opportunities for new homeowners to learn more about plumbing to make the most out of their biggest investment (their home). For more information, more blogs, and help for any plumbing need you might have, contact us and let our experienced Toronto plumbers inform you about everything you need to know!