Freezing temperatures can potentially cause a variety of problems for Birmingham residents, including frozen and ruptured pipes. Frozen pipes leave you without access to fresh water in your home until the pipes thaw. During a cold snap, this might be a few hours or even several days.
Ruptured pipes result in plumbing repairs and water damage in your home. One of the best steps available to minimize these risks is to drip your faucets. Do you know when to drip your faucets and how to do it properly?
TLDR: Dripping the faucet farthest from your water meter maintains a steady flow of water through the pipes. This minimizes the risk of freezing and ruptured pipes. The faucet only needs to run at a rate of a single drip per three to five seconds. This can be combined with other steps, such as opening the cabinet doors under the sinks and insulating your exposed pipes.
Why Dripping Faucets Works
Dripping faucets works for one simple reason. This is because stationary water can freeze more quickly and easily than moving water. By dripping your faucets when outdoor temperatures plummet below freezing, water continues to flow through your pipes. This dramatically reduces the risk of a major problem in your home.
You might think that the water waste associated with allowing your pipes to drip is too significant. However, the cost of slowly dripping your faucets overnight is less than $1. The repair cost for a ruptured pipe can be $1,000 or more.
When Should You Drip Faucets?
Knowing when to drip faucets is the first step in safeguarding your pipes. Your pipes are somewhat insulated inside the walls of your home. As a result, you don’t need to drip the faucets as soon as the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. As the temperature drops lower, however, the risk of frozen pipes increases. When the outdoor temperature is expected to be 20 degrees or less for more than three hours, your faucets need to drip.
If your home’s indoor temperature falls, you need to make an adjustment. Your heating system warms your home, and this heat reaches the interior walls where the pipes are. This helps to prevent them from freezing. When the electricity goes out, the pipes can freeze at a higher temperature. In this situation, drip the faucet at 32 degrees. In addition, if you plan to be away from home when temperatures are expected to drop, avoid lowering the temperature setting on your thermostat.
Which Faucets Should You Drip?
Commonly, local residents wonder if they need to let one faucet run or all of them. Only one of your faucets needs to run. This needs to be the faucet that is located the farthest away from the water meter. When this faucet runs, water continues to run through the full length of the pipe system.
If you run all of the faucets, you waste water unnecessarily. If you choose a faucet near your water meter, the water farther away from the water meter will remain stagnant and is more likely to freeze.
How Much Should You Let Faucets Drip?
The water from your selected faucet doesn’t need to gush. Water moving at a slow trickle is sufficient to prevent freezing. Ideally, a drop of water will fall from the faucet every three to five seconds. In the rare event the temperature in Birmingham reaches a sub-zero level, the flow should increase slightly.
Extra Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes
Dripping your faucet is essential for safeguarding your pipes during freezing weather conditions, and there are other steps to reduce the risk of frozen and ruptured pipes. For example, opening cabinet doors under your sinks helps these pipes stay warmer. Wrapping exposed pipes with insulation or foam is also beneficial.
Exposed pipes are found at your outdoor water spigots, crawlspaces and basement. In addition, keep your thermostat above 55 degrees at all times.
What Not to Do
While there are several steps that you can and should take to safeguard your pipes during freezing weather, there are also things that you should avoid. For example, do not drip your outdoor faucets. Instead, wrap the spigots with insulation or old towels.
Do not use propane heaters, kerosene devices, blowtorches or charcoal stoves to thaw frozen pipes. Don’t thaw frozen pipes too quickly. In addition, do not leave your garage door open.
Call Birmingham Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Today
When your pipes freeze or rupture, you need fast, reliable service. Our punctual plumbers at Birmingham Benjamin Franklin Plumbing are available 24 hours a day for emergency repair services. We’ll head to your home as soon as possible to repair the damage and restore water access. Schedule service with us online or by phone today.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how and when to drip faucets is essential to minimize the risk of frozen pipes during extremely cold weather conditions. However, even when you take proper steps, frozen and ruptured pipes can still happen. The punctual plumbers at Birmingham Benjamin Franklin Plumbing are ready to respond when you face a plumbing emergen