In this video, Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey offers a few tips to keep water from freezing up in your pipes during the winter months. Keep pipes from bursting with these 6 steps.

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How to Prevent Pipes from Bursting

  • To keep water from freezing on an outdoor spigot during the winter, shut off the water valve to the outdoor spigot.
  • Drain excess water from the pipe.
  • To prevent indoor pipes from freezing, cover exposed pipes with foam insulation. It comes in long strips and can be cut down to size with a utility knife.
  • Use cable ties to tie downpipe heating cable for any pipes that may need extra heat to stay fluid.
  • If pipes under a sink are on an outdoor-facing wall, open up the cabinet doors to let the heat from the house flow underneath the sink.
  • On extremely cold days, leave at least one sink on a slow drip to keep water moving in the pipes.

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Tools & Materials

  • Utility knife