Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes

Minimize Damage to Your Building

As you get your building ready for winter, follow these tips to prevent frozen pipes.

Insulate pipes: Make sure pipes are wrapped in insulation to help prevent freezing. Use pre-formed pipe sheaths or wrap the pipes with standard blanket-style insulation.

Insulate building: Put insulation in walls, floors, ceilings, attic, foundation and basement. More insulation can lower heating bills.

Use heat tape: Heat tape is wire with embedded heating elements that warm up to heat pipes. It can be wrapped around your pipes to warm them and prevent freezing.

Seal air leaks: Make sure that air leaks that can cause warm air to escape and cold air to get in are sealed. These cracks, holes and gaps should be sealed with caulking. Put weather-stripping around doors and windows.

Have a backup power source: Have a backup power source available to keep the heat going should the power go out.

Monitored automatic excess flow switch: Install a monitored automatic excess flow switch on the main incoming water line to provide burst pipe detection.

Temperature Monitoring System: Install a temperature monitoring system for buildings that are not routinely occupied. The system will alert you if the building temperature falls below a certain threshold.