This Complete Winter Checklist Will Prepare Your Home for Freezing Temperatures (2023)

FAQs

How do I prepare my house for freezing temperatures? ›

Keep warm with gloves, hats, boots, thick jackets and thick socks, and make sure you pack an extra change of clothes. Take blankets or sleeping bags with you in the car if you travel anywhere in case you get stuck. Layering the clothing you already own can also help insulate your body heat against cold weather.

DURING freezing weather:

If you plan to be away from home for several days, shutting off the water can reduce the chances of broken pipes. Set your home heat to at least 55 degrees. Shut off water to the house and open all faucets to drain pipes; flush the toilet once to drain the tank, but not the bowl.

Regardless of how long you will be traveling and away from home, keep your thermostat set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or above. This will help to keep the pipes on the inside of the home from freezing and the ones under the home at a slightly higher temperature as well.

What temperature do pipes freeze in a house? We all know that freezing begins at 32° F or 0° C, but at what point do pipes freeze within our own homes? Temperatures only need to drop to about 20° F for a few hours to put exposed pipes at risk.

At What Temperature Do Pipes Freeze Without Heat

However, according to research conducted by the Building Research Council at the University of Illinois, the temperature threshold for pipes to freeze without heat is 20 degrees F.

How to prevent your condensate pipe from freezing: Leave your heating on overnight at a lower temperature to keep the condensate warm. Although this uses energy, your boiler will take less time to heat up your home in the morning.

Wind helps mix up the cold air with warmer air above, reducing the chance of frost, Hodel said.

To prevent pipes from freezing, the best thing to do is turn your water off if you can locate your valve. If not, leaving your faucets on with a slight trickle - not a drip - to prevent broken pipes, he says.

What liquid does not freeze? ›

In the real world the only exception to this is helium, for which quantum fluctuations stabilize the liquid state down to absolute zero.

Irrigation sprinklers can be used to protect plants from freezing when the expected lows are just below freezing. Irrigation will result in severe damage when the low is below the temperature you can protect to. Many Michigan blueberry and strawberry growers use sprinkler systems to protect their crops spring freezes.

Keep your pipes from freezing by shutting off the valve that allows water to come into your home. Then, open any drain valves and all faucets and let them run until the pipes are empty (it's helpful to identify these valves in advance).

Avoid broken water pipes this winter by draining your pipes before a big freeze. Be sure to drain your pipes before going on a winter vacation or if there is a particularly cold night in the forecast. It will save a lot of time and hassle to drain your pipes now to avoid busted pipes later!

Set your thermostat at 70 degrees

Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the optimal temperature to prevent frozen pipes, even in below-zero temperatures.

Whenever winter weather drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, your indoor and outdoor pipes are at risk of freezing. While it is possible for pipes to freeze and thaw without causing any problems, water freezing within a pipe expands, raises pressure inside of the pipe, and may cause a burst pipe.

Homeowners who leave their homes during cold weather are advised to keep their heat on. The ideal temperature would be around 55 to 60 degrees. This will be warm enough to keep pipes from freezing.

Many factors contribute to how quickly a pipe will freeze, but water supply lines begin to freeze when the temperature reaches 20 degrees. A home's central heat is normally more than adequate to prevent all inside pipes from freezing.

With this in mind, expect most pipes to freeze within six to eight hours. Uninsulated exterior pipes can freeze in under six hours if the temperature is below 20 degrees. It takes at least 12 hours for unprotected pipes to freeze at 32 degrees.

How deep do pipes need to be to not freeze? ›

2. Water service piping that is installed exterior to a building and underground must be buried at least 12 inches (305 mm) below grade or 6 inches (152 mm) below the established frost penetration depth for the geographic area [see Commentary Figure 305.4(5)], whichever is the greater depth.

Even so, outside temperatures generally have to fall to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below before your pipes will freeze or burst due to freezing. Still, you might not want to wait for temperatures to fall that low before taking precautions to protect your pipes from freezing.

The temperature of icy winter can cause the hot water pipes to freeze or even crack. It is a strange thing that hot water pipes freeze quickly than cold water pipes. By increasing the temperature of your house, you can attempt to unfreeze the frozen pipe.

Whether you plan to leave for a vacation or for the season, most heating and cooling professionals recommend setting the thermostat to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will reduce your heating costs and minimize the risk for hazards such as frozen or burst pipes and flooding.

Excessive cold (anything below 62 °F or 16 °C) in your home can actually raise your blood pressure as your blood “thickens” in the chilly temperatures. A cold house is more likely to be damp, leading to mold and mildew growth, and the mold can also get in your air vents.

"Your system's [furnaces] aren't designed to run in temperatures that are below-zero for long periods of times," Marchand said. To help alleviate some of the stress off of systems during these cold temperatures, set your thermostat a few degrees lower than what you're used to.

Cold homes contribute to excess winter mortality and morbidity. Most of the health burden can be attributed to both respiratory and cardiovascular disease, especially for older people. In children, the excess winter health burden is mostly due to respiratory disease.

According to pulmonologist Dr. Michael Scharf, inhaling cold air may cause bronchial irritation and cough. If you have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the cold air “may induce bronchial tightening or constriction leading to cough, wheeze and shortness of breath.”

a severe freeze

Also called a “killing freeze” is anything below 24 degrees Fahrenheit.

A freeze is more impactful as it is a longer event and occurs when the interior temperature of the plant reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit, Gardening Know-How noted. The frozen inside of the plant warms during the day and the cells release water and break down.

Will pipes unfreeze themselves? ›

Will Pipes Thaw on Their Own? Technically yes, but the “wait-and-watch” method carries risk. As that ice begins to thaw, any water caught between the faucet and the ice will cause increased pressure within the pipe. That increase in pressure can lead to frozen pipes bursting.

Keep them closed when temperatures are below freezing; open windows or doors can lead to frozen pipes. When the water in pipes expands as it freezes, it can crack the pipe, leading to substantial water damage to the home and personal belongings upon thawing.

Yes — a general explanation. Hot water can in fact freeze faster than cold water for a wide range of experimental conditions. This phenomenon is extremely counterintuitive, and surprising even to most scientists, but it is in fact real.

All alcohol will freeze at a cold enough temperature, but any proof higher than 50 will not freeze in a conventional freezer. This covers the majority of harder spirits you may buy, but beer, wine, and liqueurs will certainly freeze with enough time.

Fill a plastic bottle with water and a cup of salt. The salt will keep the water in the bottle from freezing.

Most breads freeze very well with little to no loss in quality or texture. The enemy is freezer air, which can cause freezer burn and impart freezer-aroma flavors. To prevent this, wrap each loaf tightly in two layers of plastic wrap before placing it in a large resealable freezer bag.

You can dice squares for roasting later, or cut the potatoes into strips to make french fries. You can freeze potatoes with or without the peel.

Yes, you can freeze eggs. Eggs can be frozen for up to a year, although it is recommended to use them within 4 months for freshness. Many people find themselves being left with spare egg whites or yolks after a recipe requiring just one or the other, or even throwing out unused eggs when the box hits its expiry date.

If it is not going to rain before the freezing temperatures arrive, you should water plants thoroughly. This is because moist ground stays warmer than dry ground. Watering the night before the freeze arrives will insulate the root structure of the grass and plants, decreasing the potential for cold injury.

At what temperature should you not run your sprinkler system? ›

You should shut off your irrigation system just before temperatures in your region begin to dip below freezing at night. Don't shut off your irrigation system too early. Often homeowners shut their systems down as soon as the fall season arrives because they believe that their lawn requires less water.

Luckily, you can avoid frozen and burst irrigation pipes. To keep your investment functional, make it an annual habit to winterize your irrigation system. Simply drain the system and shut it down when you're done watering for the year.

Of all the pipes that can freeze in your home, frozen water lines to the toilet create the most inconvenience. A toilet won't flush with frozen pipes. You can clear it once using water already stored in the tank, but you have to pour water in the bowl to flush again until you can thaw the toilet pipes.

The Cold-Shot pipe freezing tool freezes liquids in metal and plastic pipes ranging from 1/8″ through 2″ (10mm to 60mm) using carbon dioxide (CO2). Dip tube-type CO2 cylinders are available from any welding supply house. The Cold-Shot works faster than “refrigerator-type” units, is more compact and less expensive.

If the pipes have frozen and burst, a plumber can fix them. If the pipes are frozen but have not burst, a plumber can remedy them by applying a heat gun to thaw them. For an interim solution, a homeowner could use a hair dryer to start the thawing process.

Once the fill valve and shut-off valve are off, remove your toilet tank lid and gently place it on the floor. Flush your toilet and hold the flush handle down until you see that all of the water has drained from the tank. Do not release the flush handle until all of the water is gone from the tank.

The rule of the thumb is that it takes roughly 6-hours for water in your pipe to freeze after left in an unheated area. Meaning if you lose power at your home and the weather is reaching below freezing point, you have approximately 6-hours until the pipes will begin to freeze.

Here are tips to keep your pipes warm and safe when the power goes out: Run all of your faucets at a fast drip. This helps prevent pipes from freezing. Try to get a source of heat going: If you decide to use a kerosene space heater, be sure it is vented to the outside and kept clear of any vents.