Freezing Temps

It's starting to feel like winter in the mountains of Western North Carolina and you know what that means... freezing temps. We all know that prolonged temperatures below freezing pose the threat of pipes freezing and potentially cracking, bursting, and leaking. There are ways to prevent it from happening and, today, we're going to cover a few recommendations based on situations we often encounter in the filtration business.

Before addressing specific scenarios we often see, it's important to mention the obvious, that, in order to prevent water from freezing, it must remain above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When the air temperature is 32°F or lower for an extended length of time, water needs a heat source in order to avoid freezing. The following are some examples of what we often encounter:

1. Pipes wrapped in insulation with no heat tape. It's not enough to simply wrap pipes in insulation. We recommend electric heat tape running along the pipes within the insulation in order to avoid freezing.
2. Unconditioned spaces. We see a lot of them. Whether it's a pump house, shed, garage, or crawl space. Again, the heat source. We recommend some form of heat in these spaces, such as, a small radiant kerosene heater or electric heat source.
3. Lack of insulation. Heat rises, and will escape uninsulated spaces, leaving pipes vulnerable to freezing. The real culprit is cold air. We recommend adequately insulating any space where plumbing is present, and don't forget the heat source!
4. Stagnant water. If you can keep water moving, enough heat may be generated in order to avoid freezing. Some people leave a sink dripping or trickling - the age old trick to avoid freezing pipes. This wouldn't be our first recommendation but it would be better than nothing.

It's important to monitor the temperature of the space where there is exposed plumbing. Insulation and a heat source are critical. In our experience, frozen pipes tend to fail most often at the fittings (due to expansion) but we've seen shattered PVC and copper pipes burst. PEX pipes are flexible and don't tend to crack but, again, the pipe fittings (elbows, tees, valves, etc.) tend to be the place of failure after a good freeze/thaw cycle. Hose bibs are often susceptible to freezing cold air. There is an insulated cover available at hardware stores or online that can be used to trap enough heat from heat tape wire to prevent this. If you're on a well, make sure your well head is well insulated and heat tape is used around the plumbing at your well head, if applicable.

We hope this advice helps prevent frozen pipes and leaks in your water system this winter and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at 828-683-5400 or email us at mountainwatersystems@gmail.com.