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Preventing Pipe Freezes

4:12 PM 01/22/2013

 

adele

CG, Bklyn, NY

With the artic air settling in for the week I am wondering if anyone else is worried about the possibility of frozen pipes.  One side of our brownstone is unattached and we're a little concerned about the extended cold spell.  We have already insulated pipes that we're able to reach on that side of the house but some pipes are still inevitably vulnerable.  Apart from this, can anyone offer any other precautionary measures we should all be taking? 
 
 

 

 

Plumbers and Plumbing
Insulation
3 answers
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  • vote

    bklnite

    Flatbush, NY

    As long as you're heating the whole house you should be OK.
    If you've got fixtures that don't get regular use and have plumbing that runs through an area that isn't well heated it wouldn't hurt to run a small amount of water occasionally. I once had an issue where a cold water faucet in a bathroom above a cold / unheated area of the basement stopped working during a severe cold spell. Was lucky no pipes burst. Every time we used the sink we'd only run hot water to wash hands, but if we had turned on the cold water occasionally it might have have prevented the freeze-up.

    4:42 PM 01/22/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

    Comments (1)

    • adele

      CG, Bklyn, NY

      Thanks for the sound advice. There is one area of the house that is particularly vulnerable to the cold air and was considering leaving the faucet on at a drip, especially overnight. I'll definitely do so, a little waste is definitely better than risking a frozen pipe!

      4:48 PM 01/22/2013

          

  • vote

    daveinbedstuy

    Bedford Stuyvesant, NY

    Yes, just let it drip.

    10:06 AM 01/23/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    arkady

    Park Slope, NY

    If the pipes are exposed you can also shine a 75 Watt light bulb on the area - just use a work-light w/ a cowl to somewhat focus the heat.

    8:52 AM 01/24/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

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