OgreMkV Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 Hey guys, This is our first real freeze since moving to the area. We live in a fairly new house with a slab foundation. What do we need to do? Drip faucets? indoor and outdoor? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 If you're worried about it, shut off the outdoor water lines from their internal valves, then open the spigots outside to let them drain. That should stop any hard freezing of the pipes - it would need to get quite a bit colder or stay below freezing for quite some time to affect internal water pipes even if your home is minimally insulated. Then the only freeze worrying you'd have is if your house lost power/heat and it was below freezing for more than a couple days in a row. Some people will probably say otherwise - on the day it snowed a month or so ago my apartment complex got flyers warning us to open cabinets with water pipes to prevent them from keeping out the main heat and freezing - but that's really only necessary below 20F (probably not even until you get under 15F) and for a long period of time. So long as the pipes that are in direct contact with the outside are drained to prevent the water freezing from shattering them, it won't be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneb Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 You can also fill a black trash bag with leaves, grass, even wadded up newspapers and place over the outdoor fittings. Cheaper then going to the DIY places to get the pipe wraps. As far as indoors goes - if you're worried about pipes freezing then open the sink doors to allow warm air to circulate. wayneb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 My house is over 20 years old. Everytime we get a freeze I just let my outside faucets drip. Shouldn't be cold long enough to cause any major problems. At least is has worked for me. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 You can also fill a black trash bag with leaves, grass, even wadded up newspapers and place over the outdoor fittings. Cheaper then going to the DIY places to get the pipe wraps. As far as indoors goes - if you're worried about pipes freezing then open the sink doors to allow warm air to circulate. wayneb Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's have the styrofoam covers for about $2, they slip on easily and are much easier to store and use. In a pinch a towel or something like the above works. Either option is much cheaper than a repair bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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