What can I do to prevent freezing pipes?
It's never too early to consider the potential for pipes freezing during Alpine Lake's winter. If your insulation is inadequate, don't put off fixing it. Letting water drip in a bathtub to prevent freezing isn't a good option.
Just keeping your heat set low to protect pipes through winter months can be risky. If your furnace shuts off due to lack of power or fuel, your water line protection will be gone. Pipes inside cabinets on outside walls are particularly at risk, and we recommend leaving their doors open.
If you plan
to use your own shut off valve to shut off your water at your house, we
recommend also shutting off your water heater and draining your pipes. If you don't have your own accessible water
shut off valve at your house, please have one installed.
Here are some more suggestions from a property owner who does business as "Rent-a-Hubby":
If you have a crawl space, make sure your vents are in the closed position and insulation is placed over them to keep out the winter cold. Remember to remove the insulation and reopen the vents in the spring to allow fresh air into the space.
If you are going to be away from your Alpine Lake home all winter, have it winterized by having the water turned off at the meter. Then have all water lines and the hot water tank drained. If you heat with electricity, turn off the breaker. If you heat with propane, turn off the line to your hot water tank. Put RV antifreeze in all traps, toilet tanks and bowls and in the washing machine. When putting RV antifreeze into the washer, start the machine for a few seconds on the spin cycle with the water turned off to get antifreeze into the machines' pump.
If you come to your Alpine Lake home only occasionally during winter, turn off the main water valve when you leave, and then open a couple of faucets to relieve the water pressure on the pipes. If, then, you lose power and a pipe freezes, you won't have a flooded home. Also, if a pipe freezes, only the water in the pipe would possibly freeze, and you would only have a small leak. Set thermostats at no lower than 50 degrees.