Avoid Burst Pipes

Winter Pipe Prep

Most people don’t take time for winter pipe prep.  On average, an insurance carrier sees about 2,200 claims per day during the month of January and many of them are because of frozen water pipes.  According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, pipes that burst can cause more than $5,000 in water damage.  These are alarming statistics but can be avoided.

5 quick tips for winter pipe prep:

1. Make sure you have proper seals on all doors and windows
2. Disconnect any hoses from outside of your home
3. Insulate the areas around vents and light fixtures. This will help prevent heat from escaping into the attic.
4. Allow your faucets to drip cold water on the coldest days. The movement will make it harder for the water to freeze.
5. Keep your thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Never let it fall below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you have a burst pipe, here are the immediate steps you need to take:

1. Stop Water

First thing is to turn off the water flow when you suspect a pipe has broken, even if you don’t know where the water’s coming from. You’ll find the stop tap on the water main. It is usually located under the kitchen sink or where the main service pipe connects to your house.  It is important for someone to educate each one in the home on these simple instructions because we never know when an emergency situation will occur.

2. Locate the broken pipe and inspect the damage

After draining all the excess water, locate the burst pipe.  Before you run off to home improvement store assess the damage done. A major water pipe will take more time to replace because it holds more water as opposed to a single pipe under the bathroom sink.  If it’s a small break you may be able to patch it and save yourself some money in the process. 

3. Repairing the Burst Pipe

A sleeve clamp is a quick and easy solution to a pipe leak.  A sleeve clamp consists of two semicircular pieces of metal that, when put together, completely surround the pipe — hence the name sleeve. The clamp is about 3 inches long, but you have to buy one to fit your specific pipe size.  Now grab a screwdriver to screw it in place and this should stop the leak!!

• Wrap the damaged section with gasket material.  A helpful hint, junkyards are filled with rubber that can be had for pennies. Old automotive radiator and heater hoses work perfectly. If you have a friend who works on cars, he’ll probably be glad to give you all you need.
• Surround gasket pipe with the two semicircular clamps
• Tighten the screws that connect the two halves of the sleeve

Here at Carter’s My Plumber, we care about our customers and these emergency situations.  We hope these are some helpful hints and can help you out at a whim. To learn more about water leaking problems, click here. We know that there are those desperate times which call for desperate measures.  For example, you have turned the water off but still can’t locate the burst pipe.  We are family owned and operated and provide a full level of plumbing service!! All you need to do is give us a call at 317-859-9999.  We promise when we leave you will have a smile on your face 😊 Plumbing is our passion but our customers are what drive us to be the best around!