Beware of Frozen Pipes This Winter

11/8/2023 (Permalink)

As winter descends and temperatures plummet, it's essential to be acutely aware of the potential hazards that come with the season, particularly the menace of frozen pipes. The freezing temperatures pose a significant risk to the plumbing in our homes, potentially leading to burst pipes and extensive water damage.

Understanding the dynamics of freezing pipes, identifying the vulnerable areas within your home, and implementing preventive measures is crucial in protecting your property. Let's dive in and talk about what causes burst pipes, how you can help prevent them, what happens when they do burst, and how SERVPRO of West Somerset County can help with water damage restoration and cleanup.

What Causes Burst Pipes?

Burst pipes during winter are a common and potentially disastrous problem caused primarily by freezing temperatures. When water inside the pipes freeze, it expands, creating tremendous pressure within the plumbing system. This pressure can become too much for the pipes to handle, leading to cracks, fissures, or complete ruptures.

Homes in regions when temperatures regularly drop below freezing (remember Christmas Eve of 2022?), are especially vulnerable. Pipes located in unheated areas such as attics, basements, garages, or crawl spaces are definitely at risk.

How Can You Prevent Burst Pipes?

Preventing burst pipes during winter involves proactive measures aimed at protecting your plumbing system from freezing temperatures. You'll want to make sure that you have adequate insulation; ensuring that pipes in vulnerable areas like attics, basements and crawl spaces are properly insulated with pipe sleeves or heat tape to keep them warm.

Exterior walls should also be insulated to shield pipes inside. All cracks and gaps in walls and floors should be sealed to prevent drafts.

During extreme cold, allowing faucets to drip slowly can relieve pressure within the pipes, and maintaining a consistent indoor temperature can also help prevent burst pipes. Another trick you can do is to leave your cabinets open so the pipes receive the heat from your house.

It's important to regularly check for signs of leaks, especially during the winter months, to try to stop any type of water emergency or damage before it's too late.

What Can Happen When Pipes Burst?

When pipes burst, the consequences of a water event can be both immediate and devastating. The initial impact is the sudden release of a large volume of water into your home, causing immediate damage to walls, floors, ceilings, and belongings. This rapid flooding can lead to structural damage, compromising the integrity of your home. The water damage can also ruin electronic appliances, furniture, and cherished personal items.

Moisture seeping into walls and insulation can weaken the foundation of your home, potentially leading to long-term structural issues. Repairing the damage caused by burst pipes often involves extensive cleanup, restoration of damaged materials, and sometimes even reconstruction, incurring substantial financial costs and emotional stress. Timely action is crucial to mitigating these risks, emphasizing the importance of preventive measures and swift response when dealing with burst pipes.

The longer you wait to seek professional help for the water damage restoration process, the more chances that there will be mold growth and structural damage to your home. That is why SERVPRO is a 24/7 restoration company. We can be there as soon as you call us.

What SERVPRO of West Somerset County Can Do to Help

When it comes to water damage restoration services, SERVPRO can help. We respond quickly and confidently to water loss incidents, extending our services from Hillsborough to Manville. These emergencies have the potential to rapidly escalate, spreading into new areas and causing continuous deterioration of construction materials and property contents.

To ensure a prompt response, we prioritize the certification of every technician on our team as Water Restoration Technicians through the IICRC. This proactive approach eliminates waiting times for our customers when loss incidents occur. Our expertise lies in structural drying and efficient content management, exemplified by our successful recovery efforts at the Balogh company facility in Somerset.

During this project, we effectively cleaned and dried the affected area, preserving extensive carpeted areas and avoiding unnecessary tear-out and reconstruction. Regardless of the severity of the water loss, you can rely on our professional team to restore your property to its pre-damaged state, ensuring it's as if the incident never occurred.

Since every flood and water damage scenario is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. However, the overall water restoration process remains the same. Here's a look into our water damage restoration process. If you're looking for more information about the process, click here.

• Step 1: Emergency Contact
• Step 2: Inspection and Damage Assessment
• Step 3: Water Removal/Water Extraction
• Step 4: Drying and Dehumidification
• Step 5: Cleaning and Repair
• Step 6: Restoration

Assuming you let water damage sit in your home longer than you should have, you may have to start worrying about mold. If you start seeing the signs of mold, call us ASAP. We are mold remediation specialists and have the skilled techniques when removing it from your home.

When it comes to needing cleaning services for your property, we can help with that too. Whether you've had water damage, fire damage, mold damage, storm damage, or anything else - we have a list of cleaning services that will help. We can take care of cleaning air ducts and HVAC systems, biohazard materials, carpet & upholstery, odor remover, and sewage/toilet overflow.

About SERVPRO Team Harvey

SERVPRO of West Somerset County is proudly owned by Lance and Jennifer Harvey - a husband and wife duo that owns three other SERVPRO locations, including SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan, SERVPRO of Hoboken/Union City, and SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel.

We understand the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the disruption it causes your home or business. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “like it never even happened.”