Dealing with frozen pipes does not only pose a problem to your plumbing. In some instances, these frozen pipes can burst and lead to irreparable water damage to your home, which would require more than the replacement of your plumbing supplies. This is why is crucial to try to prevent freezing pipes rather than having to contend with already frozen one. Here are some handy tips to preventing your pipes from freezing.

Ensure you drain your plumbing pipes. 

When the colder months roll around, it is prudent to ensure that the plumbing pipes located outdoors have been drained. To do this, you should first shut off each individual supply line that connects to the various pipes. Once the valves of these supply lines have been closed, proceed to opening the various taps and let them drain out all the water.

Keep the taps open, as this will ensure that there will be minimal amounts of water left within the plumbing. This way, any remnants of water within the pipes would be too little to affect the pipes in the event the water freezes over.

Ensure you insulate your plumbing pipes.

Another tip to preventing your pipes from freezing would be ensuring they are properly insulated. This is especially important for the pipes that are located in spaces that remain unheated in and around the home such as in the basement and outdoors.

One of the easiest ways to insulate your plumbing pipes would be through the use of preformed sleeves. These sleeves are prefabricated to easily wrap around your plumbing without having to detach the pipes from their position.

Ensure you heat your plumbing pipes.

If you are not able to get your hands on preformed insulation sleeves, you should consider heating your plumbing pipes. However, this is not done by lighting a fire underneath your plumbing pipes. Instead, you should invest in electrical heating tape. This type of tape works using the same concept as an electrical blanket. All you would have to do is wrap the tape around the pipes that would be susceptible to cold and it will prevent them from freezing.

A common mistake some homeowners make when it comes to this heating tape is overlooking their hot water pipes. Just as your regular pipes are susceptible to freezing, so are your hot water pipes so these should not be neglected.

Heating tape may be an expensive alternative but it is the most efficient when compared to other preventative measures you could take.

Share