Reducing Your Risk of Frozen Pipes

As temperatures in Chicagoland continue to drop, homeowners may be feeling anxious due to the potential of frozen pipes during this time of year. Did you know that burst frozen pipes are one of the most common winter issues? The average repair cost for water damage is at least $5,000 and the stress that families endure is extremely high.

Top Tips from Our Plumber in Highland Park, Il

Research shows that the temperature threshold of when your pipes may freeze is 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This is especially the case for those who do not have insulated pipes in their homes. Insulating your pipes is an ideal first step in protecting your home from damage and it is cheap for how effective it is. Besides insulating your pipes, here are some recommendations from our team:

  • Keep your garage door closed unless you need to use it. This will help keep heat trapped inside. You should especially keep your garage door closed if there are water supply lines located here.
  • Open your kitchen and bathroom doors to help warmer air circulate through the plumbing areas of your home.
  • Allow cold water to drip from a faucet that is served by exposed pipes to help prevent the pipes from freezing.
  • Be consistent with how you set your thermostat during the day and night. Saving a few bucks here and there on your heating bill isn’t close to the amount of money you’ll spend if your pipes freeze and burst.

Thawing Frozen Pipes

One sign of frozen pipes is turning on a faucet only for a trickle of water to come out. Be cautious when starting to thaw out your pipes, because if a pipe has already burst, the water will all of a sudden come bursting out and damage your home. Make sure to turn on the faucet, apply heat using an electric heating pad or a portable space heater until your water pressure is restored.

Our plumber serving Highland Park and surrounding areas are happy to help you with the above issues in the case that you need professional assistance! We’re only a phone call away.

About the Author


I’m Andy Visconi, the Operations Manager at BMW Plumbing since 1999.  When I’m not talking to our many Customers about their plumbing needs, scheduling one of our expert plumbers to a home or business or responding to plumbing emergencies, I can be found spending time with my wife Megan and two children.

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