Heat Your Home Safely, Protect Pipes: Advice from Red Cross CT Chapter

Tips from the American Red Cross Connecticut Chapter:

Heat Your Home Safely

As families turn to alternative heating sources to supplement their home heating systems, they should take the following precautions:

• Use caution with portable space heaters - Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the winter months, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. About two-thirds of home heating fire deaths are caused by portable or fixed space heaters.
  • To prevent fire, place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible, including wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets and people.
  • Never leave space heaters operating when you are not in the room or when you go to bed. Don’t leave children or pets unattended near space heaters.
  • Drying wet mittens or other clothing over space heaters is a fire hazard.
• Make sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are working properly and replace batteries as necessary. REMEMBER: smoke alarms have a finite lifetime and should be replaced after 10 years. Many newer models have long-life batteries that do not need replacing during their 10 year lifespan. More information about preventing home fires is available by clicking here.
• Don’t overload your electrical outlets when plugging in space heaters. Be careful of extension cords that present hazardous walkways.
• Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of every heating season.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen when burning fires. Burn only wood - never burn paper or pine boughs.
• Create a disaster supplies kit — Get together lifesaving items in both your home and vehicle. Visit www.redcross.org/prepare for more information on disaster preparedness.

Prevent Frozen Pipes

Many homeowners may not be ready for frigid weather either. Now is the time to protect your house pipes from freezing and bursting.

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See also: Tips on Preventing Frozen Pipes in Freezing Weather (from Aquarion Water Co.)

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With the cold weather upon us, preventive action may make all the difference.

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage or in walls adjacent to the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
• When the temperature is very low outside, let the cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes or pipes in exterior walls. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF.
• More information on preventing and thawing frozen pipes is available here.

More on Preventing and Dealing with Frozen Pipes

On Wednesday, Patch published Tips on Preventing Frozen Pipes in Freezing Weather (from Aquarion Water Co.). Here’s a reprint of an article published by Patch last winter with tips on dealing with frozen pipes and on keeping them from freezing (we’ve removed information that repeats what’s above):

The first winter storm of 2015 continues to plague many in the area with bitterly cold temperatures. One big headache that can accompany the single-digit temperatures is frozen water pipes in unheated basements and crawl spaces of local homes.

Here is more information from the American Red Cross:

Why Frozen Pipes Are a Problem

Water expands as it freezes. This expansion puts extreme pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor water faucets, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, and water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets. Also, pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation are also subject to freezing.

A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can leak up to 250 gallons of water a day, causing flooding, serious structural damage, and the immediate potential for mold.

In the US, frozen pipes cause significant damage every year, but they often can be prevented. Taking a few simple steps, even now, may save you the aggravation and expense.

Prevention

There are three common causes of frozen pipes:

1. Quick drops in temperature

2. Poor insulation

3. Thermostats set too low

There are a number of preventative steps you can take to keep your pipes from freezing:

• Check the insulation of pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing.
• Heat tape or thermostatically controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes. Be sure to use products approved by an independent testing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., and only for the use intended (exterior or interior). Closely follow all manufacturers’ installation and operation instructions.
• Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and pipes, and use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
• Use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.

If Your Pipes Do Freeze...

Don’t panic. Just because they’re frozen doesn’t mean they’ve already burst. Here’s what you can do:

• If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber.
• If your house or basement is flooding, turn off the water valve and immediately call 911.
• Do not touch or use electrical appliances in areas of standing water due to electrocution concerns.
• Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame because it could cause a fire hazard. Every year, many building fires are caused by people trying to thaw frozen pipes. All open flames in homes present a serious fire danger, as well as a severe risk of exposure to lethal carbon monoxide.
• You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe with the warm air from a hair dryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe.
• Again, if your water pipes have already burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve in the house; leave the water faucets turned on and call 911. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it. Likely places for the water turn-off valve include internal pipes running against exterior walls or where water service enters a home through the foundation.

For additional information, visit the Red Cross website

Image: Darien Patch file photo