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By Bruce W. Maki, Editor February 2008 Frigid Real Estate:In any area with cold winters there is a risk of plumbing pipes freezing during cold weather. I started writing this article to share some tips on reducing the chances of pipes freezing and reducing the flood damage if a pipe should actually burst. It seems that everybody knows somebody who has experienced a burst pipe or a flooded basement. While writing this article my drywall-contractor friend Tod dropped by and told me a story about a house he had just looked at. It was a foreclosure sale and the bank was trying to sell it through a realtor. The rural house was vacant and being offered at a good price. When Tod walked in, the house was stone-cold, but he could hear water dripping. He opened the door to the basement stairs and was greeted by three feet of water in the partially-finished basement. Water was spraying from a burst pipe and he could hear the well pump running. According to the realtor, the home had been "winterized" by the previous owners when they moved out. It makes me wonder what some people think "winterizing a house" actually means. They did turn down the thermostat, but the propane tank ran out. They apparently didn't know to turn off the power to the well pump. This scenario makes me wonder how many vacant, foreclosed houses in the northern states are facing a similar fate. These banks and mortgage companies often don't have any local staff, so there's nobody to monitor their collateral as it languishes on the market. The realtor should have known to at least turn off the circuit breaker to the well pump, but she didn't. A smart realtor would have also paid somebody to drain the plumbing supply pipes and pour RV antifreeze in the drain traps. A couple hours of work is cheap insurance... instead, all the parties involved just ignored the situation. Or maybe they just didn't know better. How can someone be in the real estate business and not know this? It will cost many thousands of dollars to repair the flood damage to this house, and it will come out of the lender's pocket.
Why Is Freezing Water Such A Problem?If the temperature inside a house gets below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0° Celsius) it's likely that the water supply pipes and the drain traps will freeze. When water freezes it expands 9 percent, and if there is no room for expansion it's possible that the pipe will burst. When the ice thaws the pipe will leak, and in the supply system this leak could occur anywhere. Fixing a burst pipe can be expensive, but the damage from uncontrolled water leakage can easily reach into the thousands of dollars. A properly-insulated house built to current building codes will probably never experience this problem under normal conditions. What do I mean by normal conditions? The heating system runs properly, the electricity supply stays on, and the furnace fuel supply never runs out.
When A Good House Goes Bad:Even a well-insulated house with plumbing built to current codes can experience a disastrous water leak from frozen and burst pipes. But this problem usually only happens when the heating systems fails during cold weather and nobody is home to notice. The classic example is a house left empty while the owners take a winter vacation. There are several things that can go wrong:
The solution to this problem is simple: Have someone visit your house every day or two and make sure everything is working. This person needs to be able to reach you if something goes wrong, or be able to handle the problem. If you have an existing relationship with a heating system service company, make sure their phone number is easy to find (usually these companies will put their sticker on the furnace). If it isn't possible to have someone check on the house, then it's wise to at least turn off the water supply. If a pipe bursts, only a few gallons of water will leak out, not thousands of gallons. The pipe will still need to be repaired, but that expense is much less than the damage caused by a gushing water leak.
When A Not-So-Good House Goes Bad:There are two main weaknesses in a house that can allow pipes to freeze in cold weather: Inadequate insulation to keep all areas warm, and water supply pipes and fixtures that are not kept inside the insulated building "envelope". Insulation: I have worked on many houses that have little or no insulation in the walls. Most of these homes were older. It seems that houses built after about 1975 were made with more attention to energy conservation. In the late 70's and early 80's many states developed building codes that required a certain amount of insulation... at least my state (Michigan) did this. Inadequate insulation is not an easy problem to fix, but it's important to keep this in mind when any remodeling is done, especially changes that involve removing drywall or exterior siding. I'm a big advocate of adding insulation to the outside walls whenever the siding is changed. On many remodeling projects I have also added a layer of foam insulation on the inside of the studs before installing drywall. Plumbing: Any point where the plumbing supply pipes are close to the outside walls is a potential spot for freeze damage. Since most houses have the kitchen sink in front of a window, a common problem is pipes freezing beneath the kitchen sink. If the wall behind the sink doesn't have enough insulation, or if the insulation was installed sloppily leaving gaps (been there... seen that...) then there is a risk of supply pipes freezing beneath the sink. The kitchen cabinets can insulate the contents from the heat of the house. If there are any air leaks in the wall or sill area then freezing pipes may occur when there is a cold wind from a certain direction. A common recommendation is to leave open the cabinet doors beneath the sink, especially at night or when away from home for a long period.
Solutions:The best solution is to build the house properly. If an older house has insulation problems, this can be fixed during remodeling. If the work involves removing drywall, then the wall cavities can be insulated properly. As I mentioned earlier, foam insulation can be added to the inside face of the studs, or to the outside walls before siding is replaced, or both. More insulation can be added to the attic, if there is access. These are worthwhile improvements because they also reduce the home's heat loss and therefore reduce the amount of energy needed to heat (and cool) the home. But major changes are not in everyone's budget. A common solution is to apply electric heat tape around the vulnerable pipes. Some of these products are thermostatically controlled so they only operate when the temperature is cold enough to pose a freeze hazard.
What If Pipes Freeze But Don't Burst?When the water inside a supply pipe freezes, it doesn't always damage the pipe. Galvanized steel and some types of plastic pipe are more rupture-resistant than copper. If it's a cold winter morning and water doesn't come out of a faucet, chances are a pipe is frozen somewhere. Finding the exact frozen area isn't always easy. You might notice frost on the outside of the pipe... that's a sure sign of freezing. Most people just use a hair dryer to warm up the pipes and wait for water to flow. Of course, you need to leave that dead faucet open so you can hear the water when it begins to flow. If the pipes are concealed behind walls, floors, or ceilings, then it's a much bigger problem. What can you do?
None of these options are very good. This problem seems to occur mostly in old houses that have not had their insulation updated. Fortunately, most of these older homes have galvanized steel water supply pipes, which is more capable of resisting the extreme pressures generated when pipes freeze.
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Copyright © 2008 HammerZone.com Written February 19, 2008
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