It is Never Too Late To Invest in Some Heat Tapes Around Your Pipes:

One of the not so good things that can happen during an intense period is having your water shut off due to your pipes freezing. This could be brief and your pipes might warm up on its own with no harm. Yet if the pipes are frozen for a reasonable stretch of time, there is a possibility of them totally breaking, resulting in an expensive pipe replacement project. Along with the flooding that could occur deteriorating floors and walls. To help you and prevent ice-cold pipes in these cases we at Schauer's Hardware in Forest Park endorse installing heat tapes or heat cables around the pipes.

   

Pipes are more likely to ice up in a RV or mobile home, a home that is on a raised foundation or crawl space, in a repair shop or garage that is not warmed, on taps that or on an outer wall or a detached building with no proper radiator or furnace. By positioning heat tapes around your pipes, it will sustain heat and protect freezing pipes at very cold times.

Heat tapes have diverse lengths, to help fit around three foot to eighteen-foot pipes. Don’t forget to read the labels as it will mention to you how much tape will blanket the length of pipe. Also, you will want to know what kind of pipe needs covered, some heat tapes only perform with distinct kinds of pipe. Leaf through the instructions in detail, while this is more or less an easy project, you will still want to follow the info carefully. If connected improperly the heat tapes/cables will not perform right and pipes will still get icy. Or worse, if you use the wrong type of heat cables for the pipes it could start a fire. If you or a loved one are not sure of which one to pick, drive on over and visit us at Schauer's Hardware.

 

If your pipes are inside against an outside wall with insufficient insulation, they also will be apt to icy and freezing conditions, keep heat moving through and to pipes by opening cabinet doors so heat gets through the cabinets. It is can be also advised to keep a steady small stream of water running through the time of the severe wintry temperatures. If the pipes have iced over before, they probably will again, and putting on a little bit of heat tape or cable is an added safety measure.

There is also a foam insulation wrap that goes right over the pipes and can be put over the heat tapes too. There is also spray foam insulation that can be placed in certain areas to fill in the bitter cold air holes.

  

While the focus is preventing your pipes from freezing, other areas are inclined to freeze, as well, such as drains around the washer or if you have a sink in an non-heated garage, drains around these spaces could get frozen over too. For some of these areas running a trickle of water will help prevent drains from freezing.

For those extreme arctic days, don’t forget to inquire in on others, and inquire your acquaintances to see how they are doing. Animals and pets are sensitive to the weather too. If it is freezing cold for us, it can be also briskly cold for them. If you keep drinks outside for your pets, it can also freeze over. There are heated water pet bowls handy or you can put heat tape or cable around their water bowls.

  

If you already installed heat tape last season…double check that they are in running and working order, before the artic cold sets in. If the heat tapes are not working, stop by Schauer's Hardware to get new ones. Heat tapes can last a lengthy amount of time once installed but like anything, they might wear out or animals may have gotten to a piece of the tape and chomped it off.

Not convinced what heat tapes are perfect for your home? Roam on over to your neighborhood hardware store like Schauer's Hardware in Forest Park. We can show you the perfect type of heat tapes, pipe insulations, and other alternatives to do some protective pipe winterization so you do not go without water when it is freezing out.