As winter approaches, preventing water damage from frozen pipes may be weighing on your mind. Frozen pipes can restrict your water flow. In the worst cases, icy water expands, which can put pressure on the lines, causing them to break and resulting in extensive water damage. Most insurance companies cover the cost of water damage, but in some cases, homeowners have to pay for their plumbing repairs.
To ensure your claim gets approved, you must prepare for winter and do everything possible to protect your pipes from freezing.
In this article, we’ll look at what insurance policies cover, how to prevent your pipes from freezing and what to do when a frozen pipe bursts.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Frozen Pipes?
Homeowners insurance generally provides cover for sudden and accidental damage from burst, frozen pipes. This cover assumes you have taken the correct preventive measures to maintain your lines. If problems occur despite your safeguards, your provider will likely approve your claim.
However, your insurance company may deny your claim if they find any signs of negligence. For example, if you failed to fix corroded pipes or left your heat off while you were on vacation, they could find you at fault for the plumbing problem.
What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
Claims for burst pipes can be tricky. You need to understand whether your policy covers frozen pipes and water damage. Some insurance companies will not pay for the repair, which can lead to costly out-of-pocket expenses.
If you file a claim for structural repair and restoration costs, you should be aware that most home insurance policies cover the following:
- The costs to access the burst pipes, such as tearing down walls, ceilings or floors.
- Drying and other costs associated with structural water damage.
- The expenses to restore walls, ceilings or floors after plumbing repairs.
Insurance policies generally also cover damage to personal property such as clothing, electronics, appliances and furniture. Remember that this coverage has limits. If you own valuables such as fine art or expensive jewelry, it’s wise to get additional protection for these items. The extra coverage may increase your insurance premiums, but it is worth it.
In some cases, water damage can be extensive enough to make a home unlivable — for example, if mold growth threatens your family’s well-being. In this case, you’ll need temporary housing during the repairs. Many policies include loss-of-use coverage, which will reimburse you for living expenses you incur when relocating.
Before winter, it’s essential to prepare your pipes and the areas around them to keep them from freezing. Some insurance policies stipulate what precautions you must take. Insurance is more likely to accept your claim if you take these safeguards.
How to Prepare Pipes for Winter
As temperatures drop, you can take the following steps to prepare your home and water supply lines.
- Drain sprinklers and your swimming pool: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for how to do this. Unless the directions tell you to do so, avoid putting antifreeze on these lines. Antifreeze is toxic if humans and animals ingest it. The chemical is also harmful to the environment and your landscape.
- Disconnect outdoor hoses: If practical, disconnect the hoses you use outside. Close off inside valves that supply water to outside faucets and open the taps to allow the remaining water to drain. Keep the outdoor valve open. Doing this will allow any remaining water to expand without breaking the pipe.
- Locate your shutoff valves: If a pipe bursts, you should know where all your shutoff valves are. Depending on your home’s age, there are a few places to look. To locate your shutoff valve, look at where the main water supply enters your house. You can check in your basement, crawlspace or near your water heater tank.
- Insulate pipes: Water lines in areas such as your attic, basement and crawlspace are most susceptible to freezing. You can use materials such as Underwriters Laboratories-listedheat cable or a pipe sleeve. Look for self-regulating heat tape, which increases the heat on the pipe as the temperature drops, or thermostat-controlled cable, which you can control through a separate thermostat. Heat tape is relatively simple to install on your own, but you can also hire a professional to do it for you.
- Use independently approved products: Follow the instructions carefully for installation and use the products as directed, either for exterior or interior use. Other options include Fiberglas or foam pipe wraps for lines in high-heat spaces such as near water heaters and furnaces. You can also purchase a faucet cover to protect your outside spigots.
- Create temporary insulation: If you live in an area with shorter or infrequent periods of below-freezing temperatures, you can use materials such as newspaper, blankets or towels for makeshift insulation.
- Check for and seal gaps: Start looking around dryer vents, electrical wiring and pipes for openings that allow cold air to leak into your home. Even a tiny crack or crevice can let in enough cold air to freeze water pipes. If you find one, use caulk or insulation to seal it off.
- Close all your foundation vents: To restrict cold air from flowing into your home, you can close off the vents by sliding pieces of wood or foam into the openings. Remember to unblock them in spring to prevent dry rot.
How to Keep Pipes From Freezing During Winter
You’ll be ready for winter once you have prepared your home and pipes. You can also take some proactive steps during winter to protect your pipes.
Set your thermostat to no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Even when you are away, keeping your thermostat set at this temperature day and night is best to keep pipes from freezing. Lowering the temperature during the evening can help you save on your heating bill. However, the damage caused by burst pipes will be costlier.
If your garage has exposed water supply pipes, keep your garage door closed to prevent cold air from entering and maintain a consistent temperature. If you have a washing machine in an unheated garage, shut off the water flowing to it.
It’s also wise to protect your water softener. Homeowners tend to forget their water softeners because they sit in the basement or the garage. When the temperatures dip below freezing, the pipes around the water softener are at risk of freezing and bursting. To protect your water softener, you can do the following:
- Keep it warm by positioning a space heater near it.
- Drain the tank if you do not plan to use it during winter.
- Install insulation to protect it from the cold.
- Monitor it regularly during freezing temperatures to prevent problems from accumulating.
Open your kitchen, bathroom and any other cabinets with plumbing pipes. Closed cabinet doors leave the plumbing underneath your sinks vulnerable to the cold air trapped in the cupboard. Keeping them open will allow warm air from the rest of the house to circulate the plumbing and prevent it from freezing.
How Much Water Should Drip to Keep Pipes From Freezing?
When the temperature is below 28 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours or more, let a small amount of water trickle from an outside faucet that connects to exposed water pipes. It is much easier for still water to freeze than it is for flowing water. Allowing a small amount of water to drip from the cold tap helps keep the pipes from freezing and minimizes the pressure frozen water can put on lines.
Generally, you shouldn’t need to drip an interior faucet unless the power goes out and the temperature is below 28 degrees. You only need a slow stream that trickles five drops of water a minute. Once the threat of freezing passes, you can close your faucet.
While dripping your tap is an excellent precaution, exposed pipes can still freeze. For the best protection, you should insulate your pipes and seal off any areas that let in cold air.
Run the faucet farthest from your water meter to draw water through your house and keep your interior pipes warm. You may worry about having higher water bill, but just like your heating, the cost of keeping your pipes from freezing is worth it compared to the amount you could pay if your pipes burst.
How to Thaw Frozen Pipes
If the temperatures drop below 28 degrees Fahrenheit, you may end up with frozen pipes. Thawing your pipes can prevent them from bursting and causing damage.
If you have little water pressure or no water coming through your faucet, this may indicate a frozen line. Keep the tap running. A steady stream of water can thaw the pipe and restore the water flow. You’ll need to trace the water supply line from the faucet to determine which pipe has frozen, which can be tricky if the pipes run behind your walls. Look out for signs of leaks that may indicate a burst pipe.
If you need help locating the frozen pipe or the problem is too big to solve on your own, it’s best to call a professional plumber. Depending on where the frozen pipe is and how much it has frozen, you can use some home remedies to thaw the pipes. Thawing frozen pipesmust be a gradual process. Heating pipes too quickly can cause them to burst. The ideal method will depend on whether you have concealed or exposed water lines.
Thawing Exposed Pipes
Pipes in your attic, basement, crawlspace and cabinets are often the first to freeze. These pipes usually have less insulation, making them vulnerable to cold air. You can use various household items to restore the flow of water in exposed pipes.
- Heat the pipe with a hairdryer: Slowly warm up your pipe by blowing hot air from your hairdryer. Move it up and down along the line to avoid concentrating on one area, which can cause the pipe to crack. This method takes a little longer but can be highly effective.
- Use a space heater to warm the area: You can place a space heater near the frozen pipe. Set the heater to provide a gradual flow of indirect hot air. This method is effective in smaller spaces that heat up quickly. Be sure to follow all manufacturer-recommended safety precautions and keep an eye on the process.
- Apply heat tape: Wrapping electrical heat tape or heat cable around longer frozen pipes provides a steady flow of low heat.
- Turn up the thermostat: Mildly frozen pipes can benefit from increasing your home’s overall temperature by a few degrees. To allow hot air to flow in and circulate around frozen pipes, open interior doors.
Thawing Concealed Pipes
Pipes in your walls or ceiling are harder to thaw. It’s also essential to identify why the water supply lines are freezing. The lines may be against a cold exterior wall, or you could have a gap that is letting in cold air. Fixing these issues can prevent them from happening again. The following techniques can thaw concealed pipes.
- Adjust your thermostat: Turning up the heat on your thermostat will increase the overall temperature and permeate into the walls and ceiling. While this method can be effective, it takes longer, with the thawing happening over hours or days.
- Use a space heater: If vents are in the wall or ceiling near the frozen pipes, consider positioning a space heater at the vent to blow warm air into the space and gradually heat the pipes. This technique’s effectiveness will depend on how close the line is to the vent and the size of the area. Smaller spaces are easier to heat with a space heater.
- Expose the pipe: If the frozen pipe is hard to reach, you may need to cut a hole in the ceiling or drywall to direct warm air into the space. Once you’ve exposed the pipe, you can try using one of the methods above.
Never use an open flame to heat a frozen pipe. An open flame is a fire hazard. If the line is not metal, you’ll most likely damage it and cause the pipe to break.
What to Do When a Frozen Pipe Bursts
If your pipe bursts, turn off your water supply to stop the leak and prevent further damage. Clean up the water as soon as possible, then see what you can do to get everything dried out. Drying is a service that your insurance company may pay for, so you should coordinate with them to find a water restoration company. You can hire a public adjuster to assess your damages and negotiate your claim with your insurance company.
If your policy excludes plumbing, you can call a plumber to repair your pipes. They can replace the line and offer guidance on preventing a pipe from bursting in the future.
What Should You Look for in Homeowners Insurance?
Carefully read your insurance policy to understand what your coverage includes. The policy will list maintenance requirements and other measures you need to take to prevent frozen pipes. If you need clarification, ask your insurer specific questions about your coverage. Do your research and look into different insurance companies before choosing.
Some homeowners opt for a home warranty in addition to homeowners insurance. This warranty can cover gaps in the insurance policy, such as plumbing repairs. It’s also essential to read your warranty’s conditions.
Navigating insurance can be challenging even when you have taken all the necessary precautions to prevent damage from frozen pipes. The reasons that lead to a problematic claim are sometimes out of your control. Working with a public adjuster can ensure you receive the money from your claim. Most homeowners don’t have the experience to understand the claims process, but a public adjuster does.
File a Water Damage Claim With Performance Adjusting
Dealing with your insurance company may be the last thing you want to do when cleaning up the aftermath of a burst pipe. We help you by handling your claim and dealing with your insurance company so you can spend your time doing other essential things. Our licensed public adjusters take care of all the negotiation and communication on your behalf to achieve the highest settlement for you.
If you need to file a claim for water damage to your property from a burst pipe, contact us first and we’ll help take the stress out of the claim process. Give us a call today for a free consultation from an experienced public adjuster!
