Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bamb here. How much value
Speaker 1: does one dripping faucet have a lot if it keeps
Speaker 1: your homes water pipes from bursting during frigid weather. Burst
Speaker 1: pipes are one of the most common causes of property
Speaker 1: damage during about of freezing temperatures, with homeowner claims averaging
Speaker 1: more than ten thousand dollars. The cost of a water
Speaker 1: leak from frozen pipes is even higher for business owners,
Speaker 1: where claims average about twenty seven thousand dollars but can
Speaker 1: occasionally reach into the millions. But can one dripping faucet
Speaker 1: really save the day? It can if it's the right one.
Speaker 1: The dripping faucet should be as far away from the
Speaker 1: water source as possible so that the water will flow
Speaker 1: through the entire length of the system. If you aren't
Speaker 1: sure where the incoming water source is located, setting any
Speaker 1: faucet to drip will help. A common misconception is that
Speaker 1: drip prevents water from freezing because it stays in motion
Speaker 1: when it's running through the pipes. Although this does help,
Speaker 1: the truth is that at extreme temperatures, water can freeze
Speaker 1: even while it's flowing. The real reason that a dripping
Speaker 1: faucet can help prevent pipes from bursting is that the
Speaker 1: constant drip relieves the pressure that can build up in
Speaker 1: the pipes between the ice blockage and the faucet, and
Speaker 1: thus helps to prevent them from bursting when the pipes
Speaker 1: begin to thaw. Pipe joints are especially vulnerable. The water,
Speaker 1: which is very unusual in that it expands as it freezes,
Speaker 1: can stress metal or plastic pipes at almost any point.
Speaker 1: The pipes become damaged during the freeze, but don't begin
Speaker 1: to wreak havoc until they thaw. The combined pressure of
Speaker 1: the expanding and shrinking ice blockage and the increasing water
Speaker 1: pressure behind it can cause pipes to leak or burst.
Speaker 1: This is why you'll always want to leave a faucet
Speaker 1: on if a pipe is frozen completely, even if there's
Speaker 1: not an of water flow for a drip. When that
Speaker 1: ice thaws, the water needs somewhere to go in order
Speaker 1: to relieve that pent up pressure. When a cold snap
Speaker 1: hovers around or below twenty degrees fahrenheit that's negative six celsius,
Speaker 1: it's time to let at least one faucet drip. Pay
Speaker 1: close attention to water pipes that are in attics, garages, basements,
Speaker 1: or crawl spaces, because temperatures in these unheated interior spaces
Speaker 1: will be closer to outdoor temperatures. Likewise, you'll want to
Speaker 1: keep an eye on pipes that run along exterior walls
Speaker 1: and make sure they have additional insulation. Also, when faucets
Speaker 1: are located in a base cabinet in a kitchen or bathroom,
Speaker 1: open the cabinet doors to allow the home's warmer air
Speaker 1: to reach the pipes. This is especially important if the
Speaker 1: sink is located along an exterior wall. It's also a
Speaker 1: good idea to know where the main shut off valve
Speaker 1: is in your home in case a pipe does burst
Speaker 1: or leak. Usually, this main shut valve is located where
Speaker 1: the main water line enters the house. However, it could
Speaker 1: be located near the exterior water meter. If you know
Speaker 1: how to quickly shut off this water source, it could
Speaker 1: turn a huge flooding disaster into a relatively minor inconvenience. Also,
Speaker 1: should you choose to escape to warmer climbs during the
Speaker 1: wintry months, don't forget to turn off the water main
Speaker 1: before you head out. Today's episode was written by Laura L.
Speaker 1: Dove and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this
Speaker 1: and lots of other flowing topics, visit House to forks
Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio or
Speaker 1: more podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.