Tis the season for frozen pipes – TownLift

Its frozen pipes season in Park City, UT. Photo: Emily Witham

PARK CITY, Utah Frozen pipes can be a problem that will impose costly damage throughout the season. The government agency that oversees Utah counties has the following helpful tips and tricks.

Water expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever contains it, including metal or plastic pipes. Pipes can freeze when temperatures drop rapidly or stay below the freezing point (32 Fahrenheit/ 0 Celsius) for an extended period. Once a pipe freezes and has expanded, the pipe can break and cause flooding.

No matter the strength of a container, expanding water can cause pipes to break, posing a significant water damage risk during the winter months. When water invades, it creeps into every crevice and crack, causes thousands of dollars in damage to clean up and repair, and even opens the door for mold and mildew growth.

Pipes that freeze most frequently are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and water sprinkler lines; water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, or garages; and pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation.

Frozen pipes and the problems they cause can be prevented by following a few basic steps:

If pipes do freeze, there are steps you can take to minimize water damage:

If you experience frozen or, broken pipes take photos of the damage, which will help make an insurance claim easier to process and prove useful. Counties have the authority to call a restoration company (i.e., Utah Disaster Kleanup) immediately to mitigate their damages.

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Tis the season for frozen pipes - TownLift