Its Never Too Late To Install Heat Tapes Around Your Pipes:

One of the worse things that can happen during a deep cold season is having your water shut off due to your pipes totally freezing. This could be brief and your pipes might warm up on its own with not much destruction. But if the pipes are frosted over for a modest period of time, there is a risk of them breaking, resulting in an expensive pipe replacement project. Not to mention the steady flooding that could occur ruining walls and floors. To prevent and stop frosted pipes in these situations we at Euston Hardware in Kansas City suggest installing heat tapes and cables around your pipes.

   

Pipes can begin to frost over in a house trailer, a home that is on a hoisted foundation or crawl space, in a barn or garage that is not hot, on faucets that or on an outside wall or a detached structure without traditional furnace. By positioning heat tapes around your pipes, it will nourish and protect freezing pipes at very cold times.

Heat tapes come in convenient varied lengths, to help fit around three foot to eighteen-foot pipes. Read the labels as it will show you how much tape will encase the length of pipe. Also, you will want to know what type of pipe needs covered, some heat tapes only function with specific kinds of pipe. Read the instructions attentively, while this is a pretty painless project, you will still want to follow the information with the utmost care. If connected improperly the heat tapes and heat cables will not perform properly and pipes will still ice over. Or, if you use the unfitting type of heat cable or tapes for the pipes it might start a fire. If you or your family are not clear visit us at Euston Hardware.

 

If your pipes are inside against an outside wall with limited insulation, they also will be susceptible to chilling and freezing over, keep heat moving through and to pipes by opening cabinet doors so heat can get through the cabinets. It is can be also recommended to keep a steady small stream of water running before, during, and after the extreme cold temperatures. If they have iced over before, they probably will again, and installing a bit of heat tape or cable is an special safeguard.

There is also a foam insulation wrap that can go right over the pipes and can be put over the heat tapes for extra protection. There is also spray foam insulation that can be put in certain areas to fill in the bitter cold air cracks.

  

While the focal point is preventing your pipes from freezing, other spaces are inclined to freeze, as well, such as drains by the washer or if you have a sink in an unheated garage, drains around these areas could get frozen over too. For some areas running a trickle of water will help prevent drains from freezing.

For those inense icy days, don’t forget to check in on college students, and inquire your next-door neighbors to see how they are doing. Animals and pets can be sensitive to the weather too. If it is freezing cold for us, it might be also briskly cold for them. If you keep drinks outdoors for your pets, it will also freeze over. There are heated water pet bowls accessible or you can put heat tapes or heat cables around their water bowls.

  

If you already installed heat tape last year…check that they are in good working order, ahead of the cold weather. If the heat tapes are not working, time to replace them. Heat tapes can last a great amount of time once installed but like anything, they can wear out or animals may have gotten to a bit of the tape and chewed it off.

Not convinced what heat tapes are best for your household? Ask for advice at your local hardware store like Euston Hardware in Kansas City. Our workers can show you the perfect type of pipe insulations, heat tapes and other alternatives to do some protective pipe winterization so you don’t go without water during the winter months.