How do public water pipes not freeze in very cold weather? If house pipes freeze easily when there isn’t enough heat to keep the water in a liquid state, then why don’t pipes under the street freeze?

Question

How do public water pipes not freeze in very cold weather? If house pipes freeze easily when there isn’t enough heat to keep the water in a liquid state, then why don’t pipes under the street freeze?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

A major factor is that the ground is a pretty dense insulator against the cold. Also, sometimes the pipes that emerge from the ground outside do actually freeze and sometimes rupture.