Why does pipes freeze

Follow me on Twitter. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. By Mary H. Updated September 30, How to Beat the Freeze. More on Space Heaters. Best Space Heaters of Keep garage doors closed, especially if there are water supply lines in the garage. How to Thaw Frozen Pipes. Space Heaters to Warm a Room. Frozen Pipes Mary H. Farrell Knowing that I wanted to be a journalist from a young age, I decided to spiff up my byline by adding the middle initials "H.

Sharing is Nice. Yes, send me a copy of this email. Oops, we messed up. Try again later. More From Consumer Reports. As the ice expands, it pushes water toward the closed faucet. This causes an immense amount of water pressure to build between the ice blockage and the faucet — eventually, the pipe ruptures under the pressure, usually at a spot where there's little or no ice.

The pipe areas upstream of the ice clog aren't typically in danger of bursting because the pressure isn't great enough. In this case, the water isn't blocked, and can always retreat back to its source. Pipes that are the most at risk of bursting are those located outside of building insulation, or those in unheated interior areas, including basements, attics and crawl spaces. This can be a good solution for short sections of pipe that are at high risk for freezing and are easily accessible so you can install the tape and can monitor it for problems.

There are two types of heating tape. One type turns on and off by itself when it senses heat is needed. Pipes that are located in areas that do not have proper insulation, such as basements or attics, may need extra insulation to keep from freezing.

Pipes in basements or attics are not the only ones that may not be properly insulated from the cold. If you have had a problem with pipes freezing anywhere in your home, extra insulation could be the cure. Pipes can be fitted with foam rubber or fiberglass sleeves to help decrease the chances of freezing. This can be an easy solution for pipes that are exposed but can get expensive if walls, floors, or ceilings have to be opened in order to properly insulate the pipe.

Additional insulation can also be added to walls and ceilings to keep the pipes warm. Insulation can help keep a pipe closer to the temperature of the water inside the pipe, but it does not add heat to the pipe and will not prevent freezing if the pipe is exposed to prolonged freezing temperatures.

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