With the temperatures dropping as low as they did last week, all of us in Minneapolis and surrounding areas need to be paying close attention to not only how warm we dress and our vehicles but also our homes. Cold weather can be terribly hard on so many things, as Minnesotans, we are warriors and usually are prepared for extreme winter weather. The last thing you want to come home to after a night or more out of town is returning to your home to find a pipe has burst!
Even though we’re used to preparing for cold and frosty conditions, it can be easy to overlook your plumbing and heating systems when you’re “battening down the hatches”.
But trust us, dealing with frozen and burst water pipe repairs are NOT fun for anyone! We don’t wish it upon anyone but rest assured we are here to help if such an event would happen to you. We help people every winter recover and restore their homes from such an emergency.
While you can’t change the weather, there are some steps you can take to prepare your home for those ultra-cold spells and avoid frozen pipes in Minnesota altogether.
Why do frozen pipes burst?
First, let’s go over what causes your pipes to freeze and subsequently burst in the first place.
It’s fairly simple – your pipes can freeze once the temperature falls below 32 degrees F. But when the temperature STAYS well below freezing (typically around 20 degrees F), that’s when you should be on alert.
Why? Ice expands once frozen, causing a dramatic pressure increase inside the pipes. And if that pressure is extreme enough, your pipes can burst as a result.
So what can you do to avoid a plumbing catastrophe?
Since we all want to avoid having a gushing waterfall in our living rooms, here are some basic steps you can take to avoid frozen pipes all together:
Above all, if you do find that your pipes have frozen and you’re not sure what to do, contact us immediately! 24Restore is the ONLY call you have to make. We will help alleviate some of the stress for you by handling everything that could be needed to restore your home. Whether it is a well-trusted plumber or helping you through the insurance side of things… our highly trained staff has you covered!
Don’t wait until you have to swim to the phone!