by Deborah Percy

Created on: October 20, 2009

Water freezes at around 0 degrees centigrade (32 fahrenheit), but can still be liquid at -2 degrees (28 F). The risk of pipes freezing is, therefore, during long periods where the temperature is consistently at or below 0 or when there is a short burst of freezing temperatures, below -2.

Prevention is the best strategy and there are three methods:
1. Drain water out of pipes so they are dry, ideal for empty properties;

2. Lagging the pipes with insulating material to protect them from cold;
3. Keeping the pipes warm.

The pipework most at risk is that which is either outside or in unheated areas which are not part of the living space, for example, in a loft, attic, cellar, conservatory, or garage. Any pipe could be vulnerable, however, especially if the property is empty.

Drain to Prevent Frozen Pipes:

If a property is uninhabited it is best to drain the pipes of water: turn off the water at the stop cock or mains supply and turn on all taps to allow any water in the pipes to drain.

Insulate the Water Pipes:

Water pipes in countries which experience freezing weather conditions should be lagged with suitable insulation. There is a wide variety of insulating materials on the market and a local hardware store should be able to give advice about the materials suitable for the specific situation. Newspaper and other old materials, such as blankets, can be used.

Keep the Pipes Warm in Freezing Weather:

Where freezing weather is uncommon and short lived, as in southern Britain, given a severe weather warning people can simply turn up their heating through the cold period. The coldest time of day is generally between midnight and dawn, and the coldest nights are cloud free.

Special care should be taken on nights where extremely low temperatures are predicted. It is particularly important to keep houses warm through the night and parts of the building in areas that are not normally heated if there are water pipes present, such as the loft.

Anti-Freeze Technology

One should not put anti-freeze in any pipework, it is poisonous and environment hazard. Anti-freeze should only be used as directed by the manufacturer.

A modern heating system may have frost settings. Thermostats, for example, mat have a very low setting which allows the heating to come on when the temperature is very cold. To protect the heating system, new boilers will pump the water around the when the temperature gets very low, as moving water takes longer to freeze.

There are many ways to prevent frozen pipes which can be summarised as either draining water from the pipes, protecting the pipes from the cold by using insulation, or preventing the cold reaching the pipes by keeping the area warm.

When water freezes it expands, if it is in pipework when it does so the consequences can be disastrous. The pressure can result in small leaks around the joints or a huge split. The damage to property when the water thaws could be extensive and expensive.

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