Broken water pipes can result in extensive damage costing you a great deal of time & money! When weather is cold enough that water freezes, pipes will break downstream, potentially resulting in a water flow of 5 gallons a minute! Even a break in a small 1/4 inch pipe can result in significant damage – especially if the pipe break is undiscovered for hours. Below are some simple steps to protect against a pipe-freeze and help you avoid the significant damages and disruptions that can occur.
Simple steps to reduce the risk of pipe freeze in your Facility:
- Maintain adequate heat of at least 55 degrees throughout your premises.
- Make sure you have enough heating fuel on hand before a cold-snap arrives.
- Do a walk-through of entire premises to identify areas where the temperature seems to be colder than other areas. Try to identify the cause(s) – such as shut off radiators, closed vents, broken windows, and the like.
- Know how and where to shut off water to a broken pipe – make sure security and other key employees know as well.
- Check the operation of “local” space heaters to make sure they are operating. Often, a small electric space heater is placed in a fire-pump house, a small utility room, building lobby entrances, etc., so that sprinkler and other pipes do not freeze!
- Some plumbing fixtures are more vulnerable to freeze than others. For example, sprinkler pipes located near skylight or near exterior doors are vulnerable to freezing. These pipes can be protected by adding extra insulation or electrical “heat tape.”
- Dry-pipe sprinkler systems will accumulate water from simple condensation. These systems often have “drum drips” – a section of pipe at the end of the line with two valves. These should be checked and cleared before a cold-snap. The upper valve is first opened to allow water to drip into the lower pipe. The upper valve is then closed followed by opening of the lower valve to allow water to be drained from the system.
- Disconnect hoses from outside faucets.
- Be cognizant of areas where cold air can enter the building. For example, an exhaust duct over cooking appliances can be a source of cold air entering the building – especially on windy days. Can the duct/vent be closed until the cold-snap ends?
- If your building suffers a loss of power, which can also result in a loss of heating, make sure personnel are available to visit the building and turn off the main water supply until heat can be restored.
- Arrange for low-temperature monitoring of your premises if you have a central station alarm system. Temperature sensors are often a low cost add-on, and will alert you if the temperature drops below a pre-determined limit.
Simple steps if you will be away to winterize your Home:
- Turn off water supply at the main shutoff valve by the street.
- Remove garden hoses from outside faucets and open the faucets to drain them.
- Drain the water heater.
- Turn off the pilot light on gas water heaters and be sure to turn off the electricity to electric water heaters before you drain them.
- Open all faucets and leave them open.
