Knoxville TN Plumbing, Drain Cleaning, Heating, Air Conditioning & Sewer Service

Freezing pipes burst due to pressure. Most believe the ice forming in the pipes itself causes pressure on the pipe and burst it. But, actually it is the pressure that is created between the ice and the fixture that causes it to burst. The pressure is trapped and slowly expands your piping causing indefinitely a burst line.There are some precautionary measures you can take to help prevent this from happening.

Go through your home: attic, garage, basement, exterior and check for exposed water lines. All water lines should be well insulated. The insulation around the pipe helps hold heat, lowering the risk of having a burst water line. Even though the basement and attic are interior spaces of the home, they still need to be insulated if heat is limited.

With winter upon us it has brought freezing temperatures with it. The temperature at which water freezes is 32 degrees F. Once temperatures have drop below this mark it is good to turn on 1-2 fixtures per floor. The flow does not need to be heavy, but just a small stream. As long as water is moving through the pipes it will help prevent freezing. Make sure you turn on both sides of the fixture, both hot and cold.

For further details you can go to weather.com or follow this link:

http://www.weather.com/life/safety/winter/article/winter-preventing-frozen-pipes_2011-10-06

If, a water line has burst or you believe it may have please call us at 865-583-3957 before 12 p.m. and we will send out a technician same day. Thank you!