When the temperature drops in winter, changes occur with your plumbing. These changes are mostly subtle, but some are not-so-subtle. They can affect your water heater and other aspects of your plumbing.
For instance, if you have a tank-type water heater, you need to heat the water before you can use hot water. Unheated water enters your water heater and the heating elements warm the water to the preset temperature. While this water gets heated, it also expands–this is called thermal expansion. During the winter months, this expansion is a greater issue because people want hot water now instead of having to wait for it to heat.
If you or your family uses a lot of hot water, it takes time to heat the cold water coming into the tank. This time, known as the recovery rate, is affected by the temperature of the incoming water. This becomes obvious when you take a hot shower, but the next person in line needs to wait for the water to warm. This is one change to the plumbing that can be brought about by cold weather.
Cold weather can affect the plumbing and the water in the ground. The kind and material of water pipes you have buried in the ground will affect your plumbing during cold weather. Metal water pipes rust inside of the pipe. Because this rust was once the pipes inside wall, the more the pipes rust the thinner the walls become. Over time, water will seep through the pipe at the rustiest spot, especially as the temperature changes. Sometimes the rust will close the spots, especially during the warm summer, but as the temperature changes, the rust will no longer close the holes.
PVC pipes become brittle as it gets cold, which can cause it to split, chip, and/or crack. When this happens, the weak points and holes in the pipe show signs of stress and may leak. The cold weather is not the only culprit that causes this as improper backfilling and natural ground shifting and settling can worsen the pipe stress.
Cold weather also affects plumbing-especially plumbing exposed to the cold temperatures and other weather. Depending on where you live, burst pipes are a common cause of property damage and inconvenient repairs. The pipes most at risk would be basement pipes, attic pipes, and garage pipes. However, the cold air can find pipes running through cabinets and/or exterior walls. When the temperature is or is forecast to go below 20°F, take extra precautions for your pipes.
To combat these colder temperatures, keep your garage doors closed if you have water lines in the garage. In addition, open your bathroom cabinets and kitchen cabinets so warm air can circulate around the pipes. You may also drip cold water from your faucets as even a trickle of water will help keep the pipe from freezing. You can also add insulation around these pipes or crawlspaces, basements, and attics. This insulation will help seal cracks and minimize drafts around windows and doors. You can also get a space heater to help warm the area around the pipes; however, make sure the space heater is plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).