Protecting Your Pipes
by Robert Dousay

Fortunately, we live far enough south, that winter does not cause us many of the problems that it causes people up North. Because they expect trouble from “ole man winter” and we hardly give it much thought, they are more prepared to deal with a severe winter blow than we are. And since the homes in this region are not built to take hard winters, a little planning can go a long way. Occasionally, we can get an unusually bitter winter blast that causes havoc for Texans. Remember Christmas of 1989? It got down to seven degrees in Houston, and stayed below freezing for a couple of days! There was a tremendous amount of busted water pipes, soaked carpet and drywall damage. I remember it well because I was out in the field repairing the damage, and a great majority of it could have been prevented with a little preparation. Most broken pipes were in the attic, uncovered and totally unprotected. Remember the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
     Most damage occurs when water pipes freeze and break from the extreme pressure of the ice expanding inside. When the pipe thaws, you have a leak that can cause major damage if it goes undetected for long. Galvanized steel piping is stronger than copper piping, but both can break from a hard freeze. The galvanized water lines usually break in the joints, and the copper water lines usually break in the walls of the pipe.
     If you are going to be away from home during the winter, leaving your house vacant, it would be wise to turn off the water to the house before you leave. After you have shut off the water, open all faucets inside and out to allow as much water to drain from the system as possible. Leave these faucets wide open until you return. Turn your hot water heater to the low or “vacation setting”. Leave your house heating system turned on, set at least to 55 degrees, and leave all cabinet doors near sinks open so heat can circulate into the space and warm the pipes in the walls. If a hard freeze occurs, the pipes will still freeze, but with an open system and no water pressure, it is unlikely that they will break. If there is a break upon thawing and the water is off, they may seep a little, but will not pump gallons of water into your home under pressure.
     If you are home and a hard freeze is expected, make sure your outside pipes and faucets are wrapped, and leave all inside faucets running a trickle of both hot and cold water overnight. This will keep fresh water in the pipes and make them less likely to freeze. If your pipes should freeze anyway, be sure and turn off the water to the house before they thaw, as to prevent further damage. After the thaw, turn the water on just a little and check to see if all faucets are working. This will help you discover any breaks and once you have determined that all is well and working properly, you can then open the water shutoff valve all the way.
     Check your attic for exposed water pipes and cover them with additional insulation, or wrap them with pipe insulation. The pipes in your exterior walls are inaccessible, so keep the house heat on and cabinet doors on exterior walls open to assist the pipes in receiving some warmth from the house.
     For homes built on blocks, try to close off the sides of the house with heavy plastic or some other barrier that will block the wind from under the house and allow some heat from the house to be retained. These houses usually have the water lines running underneath the house and are more susceptible to freezing. The drain lines are often exposed and the traps can also freeze. It is even more important to keep your water running at a steady stream through all faucets throughout the night on these homes. This running water will warm the pipes and the drain traps. Homes that are constructed on cement slabs usually have the water lines running through the attic overhead, and are slightly less likely to freeze, although attics can be very drafty and get very cold. The drain lines on these homes are in the slab and not likely to freeze.
     Swimming pool pumps should be left on overnight to keep the water circulating through the pipes and the pump. Moving water takes much longer to freeze than water that is still.
     If you have vacant property without heat, you should drain all water lines, and leave all faucets wide open. Pour antifreeze into the toilet tanks and bowls and into all tub and shower drains especially upstairs to protect the drain traps from freezing in the unheated house.
     Fortunately, freezing is not a big problem in this part of Texas, but use these tips to safeguard your home so when it occasionally comes, you’ll be ready! CS