Prepare Your Acworth Home for Winter Weather

10/7/2019 (Permalink)

Fall is here! Don't let winter weather sneak up on you. Be prepared for freezing temperatures!

It might not seem like it right now, due to the unexpectedly long and warm summer we’ve had in North Georgia, but winter weather is fast approaching. Fall is well underway and to most people, fall means dropping temperatures, changing leaves, college football, and pumpkin spice lattes. To SERVPRO of Bartow County it is all those things and more...it’s “Pipe Freeze Season”! 

You might be asking yourself, “How could my pipes freeze and why is that a problem?”. When your pipes freeze the water that is inside of them expands. The water can expand by around 9%, which might not sound like much but can create an extraordinary amount of pressure. Household plumbing systems have improved greatly over the years but pipe freezes are still a very real hazard and when they happen can cause tremendous damage. Newer home’s plumbing systems can be built using materials like PEX flexible lines and utilize new composite insulation materials to help prevent pipe freezes. The best way of curbing a pipe freeze is by preventing the temperature from dropping in areas where the pipes are exposed (crawlspaces, basements, attics, garages, etc.).

The American Red Cross and SERVPRO of Bartow County would like the Bartow County and Cobb County communities to be better prepared for “Pipe Freeze Season” so we put together the following bullet points.

Are you ready for “Pipe Freeze Season”?

• Protect exterior pipes from freezing by draining water from swimming pools, irrigation systems, and garden hoses according to the manufacturer's or installer’s instructions. Turn off any inside supply valves to outside lines. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed to do so, due to hazards antifreeze poses to humans, animals and the environment.
• Protect your interior pipes by adding insulation to both hot and cold lines during the winter months. Pay special attention to unheated areas with exposed pipes or supply lines. If safe, add additional heaters to areas with exposed pipes or lines during extreme cold.
• Prevent kitchen and bathroom pipes from freezing by opening cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Allow faucets to drip so that water can continually move inside of the pipes (moving water has a substantially lower freezing point than moving water). If you plan to be away from home for a few days, leave the heat on and set the thermostat to no lower than 55°F

Click here for more information on pipe freezes from the American Red Cross or you can check out our previous blog “Is your property winter ready?”