With less than a month before December 21st, the official start of Winter, it becomes more and more important to make sure that your home is properly weatherized, especially in the case of your water pipes. Every year, 250,000 properties in the United States have at least one room damaged by a burst pipe. When water freezes, it expands by approximately 9%. Because of this, cold winter weather can often cause the water in your pipes to freeze, expand, and burst your pipe. Burst pipes are a serious and all too frequent problem, causing homeowners to file home insurance claims 5x more often than fire damage claims.


OUTDOOR WINTER WEATHER PREPARATION TIP SHEET!

1.) Don’t keep your garden hose connected to the faucet during winter!
The first pipes to freeze are ones that run outside the property. This includes the spigot to your garden hose! Remove the hose to ensure that the spigot’s valve is completely closed. If the hose is left connected (and even worse, if it’s connected with water still in the hose) water can freeze in the pipe from the outside of the house in. This can lead to serious pipe cracking and bursts. Always remove your garden hose, and consider buying a Styrofoam spigot cover from a local home improvement store.

2.) Trim your trees!
Heavy snow, winds, or ice can easily break trees and tree branches, which could possibly fall onto your property or vehicles! Trim your trees before winter comes, and pay special attention to dead branches.

3.) Check your Windows!
Look in the tracks of your window sills. Make sue that they aren’t pooling wate, and that all drainage holes are clear. If water can’t properly drain, it will seep right into the walls of your property, setting up a perfect environment for mold growth!

4.) Clean your gutters!
If gutters are clogged, ice dams can form! This can cause your gutters to drain improperly, and allow water to seep into the walls and ceilings of your home!

5.) Check out your crawlspace!
If your property has one, check and see that all the pipes in your crawlspace are properly insulated. You can find pipe insulation at any home improvement store. If the pipes in your crawlspace are being insulated by fiberglass insulation, make sure the insulation is only on the side facing away from the house. The heat from your home helps keep your pipes warm if it’s trapped between your floor and your properly installed insulation.

**REMEMBER** Any time you do air-sealing or add insulation, you’re changing the dynamics of what goes on in the house. That means air pressures will change and may cause back drafts in oil- or gas-fueled appliances, so service them to avoid risks of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide detectors are also inexpensive and can save lives. **REMEMBER**

If winter weatherizing isn’t enough to stop subzero temperatures from cracking a water pipe in your home, call the professionals. With over 15 years of industry experience, Bio-Clean of New Jersey is New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania’s best choice for water damage restoration. If your basement floods this winter – Call Bio-Clean of New Jersey.

Labels: burst pipes, flood restoration, frozen pipes, water damage, water damage restoration, weatherizing