Why Pipes Burst and How To Repair Them
Anyone with experience cooking bangers for a breakfast fry up has probably experienced that moment when the casing bursts and all that glorious fatty juice spills out and sizzles into the pan. It feels like an awful waste of that delicious flavour, right? Well, every split banger can be a lesson for you concerning your pipes as well. Just as a sausage splits because the pressure builds up too much for the casing to contain, when freezing temperatures hit, so will many pipes split open because of the internal pressure. The worry over burst plumbing pipes is a very real one each time it freezes outside, but the cause, as you may assume, is not actually ice collecting in the pipe and expanding!
Winter Pipe Woes
Well, alright, it is the water in your pipes freezing a bit that causes problems - just not quite the way you’re thinking. Despite what common knowledge says is true, it is not the water freezing to form a solid block that causes a plumbing pipe to split. Instead, when the temperature drops outside, layers of ice will form around the outer edges of the pipe, but liquid still flows through the center. As the water freezes, it expands both outward and inward, which puts pressure on the plumbing pipe and on the available space in the centre of the pipe, but it also insulates the inner contents of the pipe. This often prevents the water in the middle of the pipe from freezing solid. As the ice continues to freeze, it continues expanding in the direction that offers the least resistance. When you leave your pipes completely closed off, there is no way to relieve the pressure inside, so ultimately the ice pushes outward and the strain on the metal splits that plumbing pipe longitudinally.
Preventing Plumbing Pipe Problems
A burst pipe can cause costly damage to your home, and in the UK this is a real concern. If you’re concerned about your plumbing pipes splitting, one of the oldest bits of advice is best: leave your faucets dripping. A steady stream of water is not only wasteful but will actually increase the change of the pipes bursting. However, a slight drip is just enough to give your pipes a way to relieve the pressure without increasing the amount of ice building up.
Plumbing Supplies for Prevention
Rather than spending your winter worrying over the state of your plumbing pipes, shop Plumbing Supplies 24 to get the necessary plumbing supplies to insulate your pipes and prevent ice from forming! The first step ought to always be insulation. Fill up any gaps in the walls to stop the cold from coming in around your pipes and leave cabinet doors open so the warm indoor air will circulate around the pipes and warm them evenly - never use a hair dryer or blow torch to unfreeze pipes, as the directed heat will heat your pipe unevenly and could weaken or cause cracking.
If that’s not enough to stop your plumbing pipes from freezing each winter, you may need to insulate your pipes directly. Our plumbing supply store carries a range of insulated plumbing pipe so you can exchange your weakened old pipe for a better protective option. Improving your home’s heating may also help; we suggest underfloor heating, as it provides an efficient option to evenly heat one room or your whole home!
No matter what your needs, Plumbing Supplies 24 carries the plumbing pipe, fittings, and fixtures to improve the plumbing situation for your home, no matter where you live in the United Kingdom. Shop online and get what you need to protect your pipes before they burst!