With January in the rear-view mirror and at least another sub-zero month upon us, we should be mindful that water pipes in our homes can freeze when the temperature dips and the windchill makes it even colder.
Some of the common mistakes people can make in the winter when it gets very cold is to reduce heat inside the home, either when away during the day, asleep at night or to close off less-used rooms. The use of auxiliary heat such as heat pumps and propane fireplaces can make it cozy in a smaller area like a den but can expose much of the rest of the house to lower heat. These lower temperatures can lead to pipes freezing.
Here are a few tips for some easy actions you can take that could prevent a freeze-up or an expensive pipe splitting and flooding.
+ Heat should be kept on during the day and night at a minimum temperature of 18⁰C to keep the house warm
+ Inside doors should be kept open so that all rooms can be heated (including laundry rooms, furnace rooms and spare bedrooms)
+ Areas under sinks where some water pipes reside can get access to heat if cupboard or cabinet doors are left slightly open
+ Exposed pipes, particularly against walls and foundations, can be insulated with Styrofoam or heated tapes
+ Any obvious holes or cracks in walls and foundations can be caulked or otherwise sealed
+ If you are using auxiliary forms of heat (i.e. fireplace, heat pump), they may fool your oil heat system into thinking the zone (heating area) is warm enough and therefore there may not be circulation of hot water through the radiators. Water sitting in pipes and radiators can freeze when it is very cold out
While there are no guaranteed ways to ensure pipes won’t freeze in very cold weather (particularly those behind inaccessible walls), the best way to mitigate loss and inconvenience is to make sure your house stays warm.
At Scotia Fuels, we always want our customers to be safe, cozy, have plenty of fuel and have the best advice when it comes to taking care of their home heating equipment. Remember our 24-hour emergency oil and burner service. If you have a problem, please call us at 902-453-2121. A friendly Scotia Fuels operator will answer within 2 rings and have a service technician get right back to you.