Make sure to drip your faucets regularly this winter.
Letting your faucet drip slowly to protect your pipes is a time-honored winter-proofing ritual practiced by savvy home owners everywhere. That said, have you ever wondered why we do this? Are a few light droplets from the faucet enough, or should you leave a thin stream running overnight? Knowing the answers to these questions can play a big part in protecting your home against the perils associated with freezing pipes.
Learn how to keep your pipes from turning freezing nights into an inconvenient and costly affair!
Much like people, pipes don’t like the cold. Period! Keeping the faucet flowing helps because it reduces the air pressure in the pipe during frigid winter days, slowing ice formation. Though not the most elegant solution, it’s an easy fix that your wallet will definitely thank you for.
When the mercury plummets …
When things get icy and dicey, just follow these quick do’s and don’ts to keep your pipes from freezing:
- Allow a slow drip of water through the faucet to reduce pressure. It doesn’t matter how fast the drip is; the slower the drip, the less water is wasted.
- Run both hot and cold water on multiple faucets. Also, let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet attached to an outside wall.
- Make sure you don’t forget to run the faucets in colder (and therefore more vulnerable) areas of your home.
- Don’t fully close off the faucet even if the dripping stops. Ensure that you leave your faucets turned on overnight regularly, as a safeguard measure.
Take a look at our most recent blog post, “Avoiding Frozen Pipes this Cold Season – Are You at Risk?” – to know more about frozen pipes and their devastating consequences.
Most water damage is preventable. The saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies here. In addition to running your taps, during the winter it’s important to take other pre-emptive steps like adding more insulation to attics, crawl spaces and basements; keeping your heat on when you take skip town; and sealing cracks to prevent drafts.
About Eddy
Eddy is an industry leader in leak protection and water visibility solutions. Our suite of smart products offers a comprehensive water management system for homeowners that protects, controls, and conserves. Our products have saved thousands of customers millions of litres of water by continuously monitoring water usage in their home, and if something unusual is detected, alerting them to the issue. For more details, please contact us at 1 877 388 3339 or email info@eddyhome.com.
Sources:
You know the freeze drill: run the water to protect the pipes. But why does that work?, Jan 27, 2014.
