No homeowner is safe from the risk of frozen pipes during the winter months, but people living in mobile homes often face even more of a risk. Mobile homes usually do not have a basement where water pipes can be kept out of the cold. Damage from frozen water pipes that burst will cost you a great deal of time and money. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take that will greatly reduce the risk of frozen pipes Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check the skirting around your mobile home before winter hits. Unless your mobile home has a foundation, you will have skirting around the bottom of your trailer. Do not just do a quick spot check. Look at the skirting around your entire home to make certain it is not falling down in any areas. You will also want to look for any openings in your skirting. Repair any damage you find before winter to keep cold air from breezing past the skirting and straight to your pipes.
2. Purchase insulation sleeves at your local hardware store. You can put sleeves around any pipes that are at risk for freezing from exposure to the elements. The sleeves and wraps can be easily placed around the pipes. Make certain the insulation fits as snugly as possible to prevent any wind from passing through to the pipe.
3. Use electrical tape in the winter to help prevent your pipes from freezing in the coldest temperatures. You will take the electrical tape and wrap it around any pipes that are exposed and that you are able to access. Follow all instructions that come with the electrical tape carefully when installing. Do not forget to plug in the power cord for your tape after it has been installed.
4. Keep an eye on the temperature outside throughout the winter. You need to be especially concerned about your water pipes when the temperatures are expected to drop into the teens or lower. Watch the weather forecast at the beginning of each week so that you know which nights will be the coldest. You can also use a freezing level warning light. A warning light will flash when your household temperature reaches a level that indicates temperatures are cold enough outside to pose a threat to your water pipes.
5. Leave one of your faucets on enough to drip. You probably do not want to let your water drip all day, so consider trying this step at night. Any pressure that forms in the water line can be relieved as a result of having water flow from one of the faucets. Consider this only on the coldest nights of the year.
Tags: water pipes, around pipes, electrical tape, pipes that, skirting around, your water
