I’ve been told to run the faucet furthest from the water meter at a slow trickle at night to prevent the pipes in our two story home from freezing (it’s about 5 degrees F where I am). Why do they recommend doing this at night only and not during the day—for example, when you’re away at work? If the temperature is below freezing both periods what is the difference? Wouldn’t you want to do this day and night?
In: Physics
If your house is built within the last 20-30 years you have nothing to worry about. Water lines are no longer allowed to be run in exterior walls, or anywhere else that has a risk of frost.
If your power goes out (no heat) and youre on municipal water (runs without electricity) then yes running it would help to avoid freezing. If you’re on a well that requires electricity that obviously won’t be an option.
But in general, if you have power and your house isn’t old this isn’t something you need to worry about.
You should trickle it during the day if it’s cold enough , specifically the kitchen sink …. It’s always the god damn kitchen sink that freezes .
In cold climates we don’t put any piping in exterior walls but things close to the exterior walls are susceptible . Especially when there’s gaps and cracks in your building envelope.
I always make sure my home is ready for the extreme cold snaps but it amazes me how many people do nothing ( have to do a bunch of unthawing at my mom’s every god damn year and replace her frost free hose bibs …. Every fucking year ) but water is cheap and plumbers are expensive so just dribble your faucet .
Also check your furnace vents for ice build up if you have side wall venting on a high efficiency furnace
I recently heard that letting the water drip is only recommended when the temp is several degrees below freezing for more than a few hours… so all those nights where it’s forecasted to barely dip below, it may not be necessary.
Also, that you dont necessarily need to drip multiple faucets. Rather, just to drip the ones that are furthest from where the water enters the house.
And lastly, that it isnt because moving water doesnt freeze. Rather, it relieves pressure, so if water in a pipe does freeze, it has room to expand and therefore wont bust the pipe.
Disclaimer: this is just stuff i heard recently. Im not an expert. Please feel free to research.
We let the sink faucet drip every night in 2 bathrooms, pretty much from November through March. A very slow flow, just a drop every few seconds is sufficient here. If a really cold night is forecast we turn it so it drips a little faster. We turn it off completely during the day. They should manufacture faucets with a “drip setting” to make this easier, but they don’t as far as I know. Because the drip may be audible, we put a small washcloth under it to get rid of the sound. If you drip the sinks for many months, you could get a buildup of hard water minerals on the sink, so clean it periodically. We have never had a pipe burst in the 9 years I’ve owned the house. We also set the thermostat so that the interior of the house never gets below 47 degrees even if we’re not here. For pipes in locations that are at higher risk for freezing, you can get insulation foam tubes that simply slip around the pipe. There is also insulating tape you can wrap around pipes, and even electric heating cables designed to be put around pipes, which help to keep the pipes from freezing, for a small amount of electricity. We have never had to use any of those, though; the sink dripping and minimum temperature is enough.
Never heard that, what I have heard is shut off the water to outdoor faucets. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but I’ve never had an issue with freezing pipes here. Usually get a couple days of -30C a year.
5 F doesn’t seem like anything to be considered about
I see a lot of people saying moving water is harder to freeze but they’re missing the other reason. Water pipes are underground deep enough that they are below the frost line, where it doesn’t easily reach freezing temperatures. A slow flow is not just about keeping it moving, it also keeps bringing slightly warmer water in to the colder above ground pipes.
I lived in MN most of my life and have never had to do this. I don’t know a single person who does this.
Hi. This is me, showing up with a frozen cold water line with temps at 11 degrees in Texas. 😬
I’ve lived in Ohio, Michigan, Wyoming (brrrrr) and Louisiana. The first I ever heard of dripping faucets was when I moved to Texas, where I live now. Texans can find a way to screw up anything*.
*Case in point. It got slightly cold today. The power went out. It’s back on now, but I hoping for no repeat of 2021.
Generally most of the pipe is in areas it won’t freeze, but if the water is stagnat the few cold areas can eventually freeze. By running a little bit of water you keep moving relatively warm water through that section of pipe. It’s still possible for pipes to freeze if it gets cold enough, the required tempature is just lower.
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