Keeping pipes from freezing in crawl space

Charlotte Area Plumbers Advise Homeowners with Crawl Spaces How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing

Welcome to winter. With it comes cold weather and with the cold weather come issues. One issue we experience in the South is freezing pipes. Many of our homes are built on crawl spaces which allow the cold in and around our pipes. That means homeowners need to take steps to prevent pipes from freezing in crawl spaces.

Fortunately there are many options to prevent your pipes from freezing.  

• Close the vents to your crawl space when you know it is going to be near freezing for an extended period of time. You will want to open the vents back up once the threat of a freeze is over so that the crawl space can breath which prevents excess moisture.
• Buy some foam pipe insulation at your local hardware store. It is relatively inexpensive and very effective.
• If your kitchen sink is near an outside wall, you can keep the cupboard under the sink open. This allows heat from the house to the pipes which will help prevent freezing.
• Use foam board in your crawl space along the edges. Screw it into the frame on the inside of your crawl space. The added benefit is that it will also help keep your home warmer.
• If your crawl space is not insulated, turn up the heat in your home during the coldest times. The heat will seep into the crawlspace and help keep the water temperature up in the pipes.
• There is also the method of letting water drip from your faucets. This is not the most effective or efficient method to prevent freezing, but it can help.
• A low-watt light bulb placed near the pipes can also help prevent freezing. Place the bulb near an elbow as this is where the pipes are most likely to freeze.
• You can also run a space heater in the crawl space during the coldest times. It doesn’t have to be on high, just warm enough to bump the temperature up and prevent freezing.
• Don’t forget about your sprinkler system. Be sure to have it winterized by removing all the water from the system.

Got Frozen Pipes? Need Charlotte Area Plumbers?
If the pipes in your Charlotte crawl space do happen to freeze, you can call us at E.R. Plumbing at 704-269-1066 or use our simple online contact form. We are available 24-hours a day and service the whole Charlotte area, providing Concord plumbing services and Gastonia plumbing services, Pineville plumbing services and Tega Cay plumbing services. If you're within 30 miles of Charlotte, we can help you out!

Take measures to prevent pipes from freezing!

Article Summary

Quick question & answer: How can I prevent pipes from freezing in my crawl space?

You can prevent pipes in your crawl space from freezing by: 

• Close vents to crawl space when temperatures are near freezing for extended amounts of time 
• Buy foam insulation
• Keep cupboard under sink open if its near an outside wall to let heat from home keep them from freezing
• Turn heat in your home up during extreme cold