How to Prevent Plumbing and Pipes from Freezing in Winter

My husband and I live for ten years of our marriage in a mobile home. One of the common maintenance problems in mobile home is frozen plumbing and pipes in winter. Here is what we have learned to do to prevent pipes from freezing. We have learned this tips from the school of practical experience. My husband has donned Carhart coverall many times, armed with heat lamp and hair dryer to trudge through three foots drifts, crawl under the mobile home and attempt to thaw frozen pipes. It's a horrendous job.

Pipes freeze more easily in mobile homes because the plumbing is under the house. But even in houses, it is possible for plumbing to freeze under certain conditions. Frozen pipes mean no water, but worse still, frozen pipes may burst. If they burst inside your home, as was the case in our house prior to our purchase, they can wreak havoc. The plumbing froze in the upstairs bathroom before we moved in, taking out the toilet, shower and leaking through to the lower level causing the drywall and dropped ceiling to collapse. To prevent your pipes from freezing follow these safety precautions.

-If you are going to be gone, even for a few days during the winter, do not turn off the heat in your house. Keep the heat set at 65 degrees.

-Open cupboard doors under sinks and faucets to allow the warm house air to warm the pipes as well. It is especially important to keep doors open at night when the temperature drops.

-Install heat tape or heating cables. These are wrapped around pipes and plumbing fitting and then plugged into an outlet. Heat tape runs on a plug as well. Be sure to look for heat tape that conforms to the most up-to-date fire safety regulations. Heat tape should be checked occasionally for any problems that might cause it to malfunction or become a safety hazard. Heat tape or heating cables are a must for mobile homes. Home owners with unheated basements, basements with doors leading outside may wish to consider heat tape as an option also. Here's a link to give you an idea of options, pricing and use of heating cables and heat tape. Using this very simple, inexpensive home maintenance tools could save you thousands of dollars in repair bills.

-On especially cold nights, with below 0 temperatures or high winds, you may wish to allow one tap to drip a little, just to keep water ways open. If you follow the three steps above, this may not be necessary.

Homeowner safety involves the practice of regular preventative maintenance checks. For more more home maintenance tips, visit me at www.diynhow24u.blogspot.com .