Protecting Your Pipes Through a Lebanon Valley Winter

A frozen pipe is exactly what it sounds like: water inside a pipe turns to ice, and because ice takes up more room than water, the pressure can split the pipe open. The damage often shows up not while it is frozen, but when it thaws and water pours from the crack. Lebanon Valley winters get plenty cold enough for this to happen, and the area's older homes, with their exposed basement runs and uninsulated walls, give the cold places to reach the pipes. The good news is that frozen pipes are one of the most preventable plumbing emergencies, and a little attention before the deep cold goes a long way.

Frozen pipes are also one of the most expensive emergencies to ignore, because a single burst supply line can release dozens of gallons an hour into a finished basement or down through ceilings. The cost of prevention is a few dollars of foam insulation and a careful walk through the house. The cost of cleanup after a burst can run into the thousands. That math is why this is worth an afternoon before winter sets in.

The local risk

Why Lebanon homes are vulnerable

Lebanon sits in a valley that sees real winter, with stretches of nights well below freezing. Cold alone does not burst a pipe, but cold reaching a water-filled pipe does, and older homes give it plenty of openings. Much of Lebanon's housing was built in the first half of the last century, before modern insulation was standard, so exterior walls, rim joists, and basement spaces often let cold air sit right against supply lines.

The row homes and older neighborhoods that define the city are especially exposed in a few predictable spots. A pipe running along an outside wall, a basement that stays unheated, a crawl space, or a line feeding an outdoor spigot all sit closer to the cold than the rest of the plumbing. Knowing those weak points is the first step, because a pipe that never gets cold never freezes.

Know your weak spots

Which pipes freeze first

Freezing is not random. It hits the same vulnerable places first, year after year. Walk your home with these in mind, because the ones that apply to you are where prevention pays off most.

Pipes on exterior walls

Any supply line running through or along an outside wall is exposed to whatever the temperature is outside, minus whatever little insulation sits between. Kitchen and bathroom lines on exterior walls are common offenders in older homes, where the wall cavity may have little or no insulation.

Unheated basements and crawl spaces

A basement that you do not heat, or a crawl space under part of the house, can drop near outdoor temperatures during a cold snap. The main supply runs and branch lines crossing those spaces are prime freeze candidates, especially near foundation vents or gaps where cold air pours in.

Outdoor spigots and their feeds

The hose bib outside and the pipe feeding it are the most exposed plumbing on the house. A hose left connected over winter traps water at the spigot, which freezes and can split the pipe back inside the wall. Disconnecting hoses and shutting off and draining outdoor lines before winter is one of the highest-value steps you can take.

Head it off

How to prevent frozen pipes

Prevention is mostly cheap and simple. Run through this list before the first hard freeze and again as a check during a cold snap.

Before winter

Disconnect and drain garden hoses, and shut off and drain outdoor spigot lines if you have interior shutoffs for them. Add foam pipe insulation to exposed supply lines in the basement, crawl space, and along exterior walls. Seal gaps and cracks near the foundation and around where pipes pass through walls, so cold air cannot pour in onto the pipe.

During a cold snap

On the coldest nights, let a faucet fed by a vulnerable pipe drip slightly, since moving water resists freezing and a trickle relieves pressure. Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to let household heat reach the pipes. Keep the house heated even when away, and never let it drop too low to save a little on heat, since a burst pipe costs far more than the savings.

If you travel in winter

Leaving for a stretch in the cold is when frozen-pipe disasters often happen, because no one is there to catch it. Keep the heat on at a safe level, have someone check the house, or shut off the main water supply and drain the system if the home will be empty for a long stretch. An unheated, unwatched home in January is the classic setup for a flood.

If it happens

What to do if a pipe freezes or bursts

If you turn on a tap in winter and only a trickle comes out, you may have a frozen pipe that has not yet burst. Act before it thaws on its own. Open the affected faucet so water can escape as the ice melts, then warm the frozen section gently with a hair dryer or a space heater kept at a safe distance, working from the faucet end back toward the cold spot. Never use an open flame. If you cannot find or reach the frozen section, or you suspect the pipe has already split, it is time to call a plumber.

If a pipe has burst and water is flowing, shut off your main water valve immediately, then open faucets to drain the remaining water and reduce pressure. Knowing where your main shutoff is before an emergency saves precious minutes, so locate it now if you are not sure. Then call for help. We handle frozen and burst pipe emergencies around the clock through Lebanon's winters, and we will talk you through stopping the water while a plumber heads your way. Acting fast on a burst pipe is the difference between a repair and a renovation.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions