Prevent Freezing Pipes

How to Keep Pipes from Freezing

Drip Faucets: Drip both hot and cold water at faucets in kitchen and bathroom (especially if the faucet is adjacent to an exterior wall). This not only keeps water moving through the pipes, but relieves built-up water pressure in the pipes if they should freeze. Set single lever faucets in the center so both hot and cold lines drip. Pay particular attention to pipes running in outside walls. If the line is already frozen, leave the faucet on at a very slow trickle so when the pipe unfreezes, pressure will be released helping to avoid a burst pipe. The drip should be very slow.

Laundry Room: If there isn’t a faucet in the laundry room to drip, set your washing machine on warm, and start the fill cycle periodically for a few minutes to run water through the pipes.

Icemaker: Set your icemaker to make ice if the icemaker water line runs under house.

Cabinets: Open cabinet doors under sinks in the kitchen and bath if the cabinets are located on exterior walls, to allow inside heat to pipes. You may also use a small space heater (with supervision only) to keep an area warm to avoid frozen pipes. 

Heat: Set thermostat to 68 degrees or higher during periods of cold weather. Doing so will prevent pipes from freezing.  Please note that some systems are not meant for these extreme temperatures, so if the heat is not getting up to the temperature on the thermostat please understand this.

  • DO NOT leave the heat off while you are away or while the property is vacant. Leaving the heat off can cause pipes to freeze or burst in addition to making the system overwork itself to heat the place up after being off. It takes less energy to maintain a certain temperature than to warm an entire space up.
  • If you live in a property with radiators and they are not heating the unit, check the valve to ensure that they are fully open.
  • NEVER use your stove to heat your home.
  • If your heat stops working, turn the system off for 20-30 minutes. With these extreme temperatures systems are working very hard and may just need some time to reset.
  • If you have not changed your filter within the last thirty days, please change it now. Systems work most efficiently when they can intake air without being impeded by a dirty filter.

Space heaters: If you are using space heaters as supplemental heat over the next few days do not leave them unattended. Please ensure that the space around the space heater is clear, be especially cognizant of furniture and flammable items. NEVER USE A EXTENSION CORD.

Check for Leaks: Once the weather has warmed up, turn off any dripping faucets as well as the icemaker, then monitor the water meter for any unseen leaks.

If a Pipe Freezes

  • If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
  • To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.
  • When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out.
  • Always monitor the pipe for potential leaks.


If a Pipe Bursts

  • Shut off water at the main valve.
  •  If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.
  • Submit a maintenance request