Frozen pipes could cost $1,000's in damages!

9/6/2023 (Permalink)

As winter rolls out SERVPRO is called because West Virginian families have sustained water damage in walls or even flooding because of a frozen spigot. This can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to tens of thousands of dollars in restoration fees.

3 PRE-CAUTIONS TO DO BEFORE WINTER HITS

1. Disconnect your hose: Do this step in Fall. If you’re reading this after, do it now! When a hose is connected it holds a small amount of water and this water freezes and expands in the hose, blocking it. This can cause a leak or even a burst pipe down the line.
2. Use an Outdoor Faucet Cover: This is the next step and a lesser thought of one. Disconnecting your hose is one thing, but does not make your spigot winterized just yet. Most hardware stores supply outdoor faucet covers and are relatively inexpensive. A small step to take, a large headache avoided.
3. Install a Frost-Free Faucet: This is the more permanent solution of the three and a highly recommended one. As the name suggests, this is a faucet designed to survive in freezing conditions. HOWEVER: it is still very important that you disconnect your hose during the Fall. While the frost-free faucets are a great solution, they are not 100% fail-safe. The water trapped in the hose can still be at risk of freezing, expanding and ultimately damaging the faucet, or creating further water damage.

WHY DOES THIS EVEN MATTER?

When the tip is frozen it creates a blockage. When any water tries to flow through the pipe it builds up and can burst a pipe, flooding the walls, the basement or anywhere else the pipes lead through the home.

WHEN DO THESE BURSTS OCCUR?

They can happen in the winter or leading into spring. When this happens it is common that the family does not notice the problem until Spring! Weeks to months later. Which means that any water damage has become much, much worse. Yes, this means more money for remediation. So please, do not forget to disconnect your hose.

Watch THIS video:

Watch this short, informative video that will illustrate the where the water causes the most damage.

Click here to watch

Keep safe and enjoy the holidays!

The Team at SERVPRO of Wood, Ritchie & Pleasants Counties