Our winter season may be short but it can definitely get cold enough to cause problems with your plumbing system, namely by freezing pipes. Freezing pipes can cause a lot of damage to a home, both with the pipes themselves and after they defrost. One of the best ways to ensure that you don’t encounter freezing pipes during the winter months in Kerrville is to have the experts from D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc., help you prepare for the winter by insulating your home’s piping.
Why Is Freezing So Damaging?
Ice is a powerful material – just look at the North or South Pole. When water freezes into ice it expands, and those ice crystals are powerful enough the break metal and plastic, the two main materials used in plumbing piping. The breakage can be a crack or it can be a full burst, but once that damage occurs, it will have to be repaired. When your pipes are properly insulated, you won’t have to worry about them breaking due to ice inside them.
Materials Used to Insulate Pipes
There are a couple of main materials used to properly insulate pipes. The first is fiberglass wrapping. Fiberglass wrapping is usually contained in a plastic cover. It can be cut to fit your pipe and secured with tape. Another popular option are insulation sleeves. These sleeves are made of foam and have a slit in the middle so they can easily slip onto your pipes. They can be cut to different lengths to accommodate a lot of different kinds of piping in your home.
Flammable Piping
One of the reasons it is very important to work with an expert when insulating your pipes are combustion appliances like hot water heaters. Many pipe insulations can be flammable and you don’t want to make a mistake by putting a flammable insulation wrapping too close to an open flame.
