Frozen Water Pipes In Attic

It s smart to insulate water supply piping exposed to freezing temp.

Frozen water pipes in attic.

Hi just an idea run the hot and cold water pipes in the attic next to each other touching if possible then wrap them in insulation together now go to the sink in the new bath room and install a recerculation pump and make sure it is on when the weather is cold. Surprisingly both hot and cold pipes can be at risk. Inspect carefully to see if you notice any line. Another idea is box the pipes in and run a heating duct to them.

Don t thaw pipes using a propane torch which presents a fire risk. Check along the water supply lines taking note of very cold spots. Pex won t ruin if frozen. Exposed interior plumbing exposed pipes in the basement are rarely in danger of freezing because they are in a heated portion of the home.

Placing water pipes in outside walls greatly increases the risk of frozen and burst pipes in cold. Look to spend about 75 to 150 to insulate pipe in the attic of a 2 bath home. Moving plumbing pipes from a slab to an attic use pex pipe. The cost will run about 50 70 per foot.

Often inexpensive foam pipe insulation is enough for moderately cold climates. Wrapping freezing pipes with thermostatically controlled heat tape from 50 to 200 depending on length is also an effective way to quickly thaw a trouble spot. Don t forget your labor. Turn on the faucet.

What to do if a pipe bursts. But plumbing pipes in an unheated area such as an attic crawl space and garage are at risk of freezing. When running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper. Field tests of residential water systems showed that for uninsulated pipes installed in an unheated attic freezing began when the outside temperature fell to 20 f or below.

It s the thawing pipes that leak and spew water after a hard freeze use a space heater heat lamp or hair dryer to thaw the frozen length of pipe.