Preventing frozen pipes

When the temperature is hovering at or below freezing, household pipes can freeze and possibly burst, causing serious damage to a home. Homeowners can take steps to reduce that likelihood.

Locate your exposed pipes and main shut-off valve

Exposed pipes are the most vulnerable to freezing, so check unheated areas such as attics, basements and crawl spaces. Water pipes usually are copper or colored plastic - red for hot, blue for cold. While you're in the basement, check along the front wall - that's usually where you'll find the main shut-off valve, says Hunter Botto, president and co-owner of Botto Brothers Plumbing and Heating in Hicksville.

Seal out the chill

To keep cold at bay, "insulate the room and insulate the house better," says Scott Fredrickson of Universal Plumbing in Bay Shore. To prevent drafts, the Suffolk County Water Authority suggests caulking to seal cracks in exterior walls, crawl spaces and where utilities enter a house - but never block the vents.

Insulate the pipes

If you can see copper, red or blue, you have an uninsulated length of pipe. Insulate it, Fredrickson says: You'll reduce freezing risk and improve efficiency. Pipe insulation is sold in pre-shaped tubes with an adhesive strip, so you can wrap it around the pipe and press to seal. Self-seal foam pipe insulation by Armacell costs $4.87 for a 6-foot section at The Home Depot.

Give the temperature a boost

In tough-to-insulate trouble spots, Fredrickson suggests using a heat trace cable, which can be duct-taped to an exposed pipe surface and plugged in during cold temperatures to warm the pipe. Some cables are meant only for metal pipes and some are appropriate for plastic, so read labels carefully.

Use extra care in unusual circumstances

If you know there's a risk of frozen pipes, consider leaving the faucets dripping on extremely cold days. "Moving water doesn't freeze," Botto says. Make sure both hot and cold are dripping, since they come from two different pipes. And if you go on vacation, the water authority recommends setting the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees.

Know the signs of a frozen pipe and what to do

If there's an interruption in heat or water flow, and the boiler and thermostat are working, a frozen pipe could be to blame. Shut off the main valve. Find the frozen pipe. If there's no standing water to present an electrocution hazard, you can warm the frozen section with a hair dryer. Never use an open flame. Don't heat just one spot; this can cause the pipe to burst.

Keep up with routine maintenance

"Have a qualified service company do a full checkup on the operation of the heating system annually," Botto says. To keep the boiler pipes from freezing, a professional can pump in antifreeze, Fredrickson says. Check with your local municipality or the office of consumer affairs to make sure you're hiring a licensed pro, Botto says.