Frozen Water Pipes In Attic

Pex won t ruin if frozen.

Frozen water pipes in attic.

It s the thawing pipes that leak and spew water after a hard freeze use a space heater heat lamp or hair dryer to thaw the frozen length of pipe. Moving plumbing pipes from a slab to an attic use pex pipe. It s smart to insulate water supply piping exposed to freezing temp. Placing water pipes in outside walls greatly increases the risk of frozen and burst pipes in cold.

Look to spend about 75 to 150 to insulate pipe in the attic of a 2 bath home. Turn on the faucet. Don t forget your labor. There are no manufacturer guarantees it won t fail.

But plumbing pipes in an unheated area such as an attic crawl space and garage are at risk of freezing. Often inexpensive foam pipe insulation is enough for moderately cold climates. Exposed interior plumbing exposed pipes in the basement are rarely in danger of freezing because they are in a heated portion of the home. If there is only a drip or trickle of water you may have a frozen pipe.

What to do if a pipe bursts. When running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper. Another idea is box the pipes in and run a heating duct to them. Inspect carefully to see if you notice any line.

If you find any broken pipes turn off the main water supply to the house. Don t thaw pipes using a propane torch which presents a fire risk. Wrapping freezing pipes with thermostatically controlled heat tape from 50 to 200 depending on length is also an effective way to quickly thaw a trouble spot. Field tests of residential water systems showed that for uninsulated pipes installed in an unheated attic freezing began when the outside temperature fell to 20 f or below.

Surprisingly both hot and cold pipes can be at risk.