Frozen Pipes: Repair and Prevention in Monroe Township, NJ

Even when you know what to expect from a New Jersey winter, it can catch you off guard. One of the number one surprises homeowners can experience during the coldest months of the year is frozen pipes in your home.

When water freezes, it expands, so frozen water in your pipes can cause considerable damage and force you to pay for costly repairs to cracked and damaged pipes in or outside of your home. At Bob Hoegler Plumbing, we want to give you the tips and tricks to prevent pipes from freezing, but if they do, we can provide reliable pipe repair in a moment’s notice.

What Should You Look Out For?

When pipes freeze, the consequences can vary:

• You’ll lose some or all your water pressure.
• The pipe in question can crack or burst.

The first can be an inconvenience, but cracked or burst pipes can do major damage, not just to your plumbing but to your home by causing costly leaks. Some pipes are more at risk than others in the winter:

• Pipes that run along the exterior walls of your home, though they are inside the walls, these pipes may not be adequately insulated to withstand extremely low temperatures.
• Pipes outside your home and sit unused for long periods of time, like hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and sprinkler lines, are at risk.
• Water pipes in unheated areas of your home, like your attic, basement, crawl spaces, etc., are also at risk.

Preventing Pipes From Freezing

Taking steps to prevent your pipes from freezing will almost always be cost-effective when compared to paying for repairs, so consider the following steps to prepare the piping in your home and around your property for the coldest parts of the year:

• Drain water from sprinkler lines, drip lines, swimming pool supply lines, hose bibs, and other vulnerable pipes outside your home when not in use. Many of these have no use during the winter, so make sure to store hoses and sprinkler lines for the winter, if possible.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during day and night.
• For pipes that are easily accessible, wrap the pipe with heating tapes which will prevent the pipe from freezing. This tape can be applied directly to the pipe.
• Add insulation to attics, crawl spaces, basements and other areas where pipes are at increased risk because of poor heating or insulation
• In the coldest temperatures, let water trickle out of faucets and valves if possible. Even a trickle can prevent a cracked or burst pipe.

Thawing and Repairing Frozen Pipes

If you’re looking for a way to fix frozen pipes that haven’t cracked or burst, so thawing it out slow is your best bet. Here are steps to help prevent your pipes from freezing:

• Turning the heat up in the property
• Turn the Blow Dryer On
• Apply Heating Tape to your Pipe
• Remember that if one pipe is frozen, there are others that are likely in danger.
• If you do have pipes that crack or bust, repairing them won’t be a DIY job. Contact Bob Hoegler Plumbing and we’ll come out as soon as possible to offer fast and reliable repair.

Prepare for winter by calling Bob Hoegler Plumbing today!