frozen water pipes and the damage they can cause is a reality for thousands of people each year. This is especially the case when you have weather like the recent polar vortex.
"We see about 2,0 requests a day for an average winter in January," said Chris Zimmer, senior vice president of field operations for Erie Insurance Claims. "This January, we saw nearly 3,000 requests per day. Many of them were due to frozen water pipes."
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety said a pipe burst can cause more than $ 5,000 in water damage. Indeed, the damage can be considerable.
"If the outbreak occurs in a finite area, it can saturate the carpet and destroy hardwood by swelling of the joints," said Mark Murdoch, a ERIE Insurance agent Murdoch in Harrisburg, Penn., who has had clients who have suffered $ 10,000 in damages burst pipe. "It starts to wick up the drywall, if it is not removed, it will be a source of mold growth.. Sometimes you need to remove the drywall and insulation of the area "
to avoid pipes freezing and causing significant damage, follow these steps:
- drain the water pipes that may freeze. This includes your pool and irrigation water supply lines.
- Disconnect all hoses from the outside of your home, drain the hoses and store them in the garage. Be sure to close the inner valves that provide these external ports.
- Isolate area around vents and light fixtures. This prevents heat from escaping into the attic.
- Seal any cracks in the walls. Be sure to pay special attention to areas around utility lines.
- Install heat tape traces on your sprinkler system plumbing. This is a job make sure that the tape just plug yourself on a reliable electrical outlet so it can do its job.
Learn how you can prevent frozen water pipes when you have not prepared in advance
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