Different issues might plague your property’s plumbing system from time to time. Few will cause as considerable water damage as a burst water pipe. If you do not take specific steps to mitigate the risk of burst water pipes, this will be an everyday issue for you. The leading cause of burst water pipes is freezing water. When water freezes inside your pipes, it causes a considerable pressure increase which bursts the pipes wide open.
With a pipe releasing about 100 gallons of water per hour, it is essential to get a 24-hour plumber from Lehi to remedy the situation. Once the burst pipe is contained, the plumber will recommend different forms of insulation to avert the chances of a burst pipe in the future. The following are some of the standard options a plumber will offer for your pipe’s insulation:
Pipe-Wrap Insulation
This is the conventional method of plumbing insulation. Pipe-wrap insulation comes in different forms. The common ones are foil-backed natural cotton, rubber insulation tape, bubble-film wrap, and foam-and-foil insulation. Pipe-wrap insulation is the easiest to install, but it is unfortunately useful for only small pipe lengths.
Tubular Sleeve Insulation
This is the best alternative if you want to insulate long runs of straight pipes as they come in six-foot lengths. There are also different diameters for tubular sleeve insulation including 1, 1/2, and 3/4 inch. The tubular sleeves’ sides are the first split, then the insulation is placed over your pipes and seamed or taped shut. The corners of the insulation are fit tightly using miter angles and duct-taped into place to provide extra protection.
Outdoor Faucet Covers
Most pipe bursts are linked to the hose bibs that pass through the walls of most properties to the outdoors. This is because the metal faucets are exposed to outside temperatures and at an elevated risk of water getting trapped inside them and bursting them and the pipes. The solution to avert this is an insulated faucet cover. Simple rigid foam faucet covers fit snugly over your faucets and prevent the loss of heat through metal pipes, while sophisticated ones also include a locking device.
Pipe Gap Insulation
Most people focus on their water pipes’ insulation and forget one element that makes a huge difference. This is the sealing of the air gaps where pipes will pass through the wall to the outdoors. A lot of heat is lost in these gaps and hence blocking the gaps will help to avert frozen water in your pipes. This can be done with expanding foam, foam caulking rope, and loosely packed fiberglass insulation.
Averting burst water pipes using the options mentioned above takes a short time and saves you a tidy sum in future water damage restoration and frequent water pipes repair. Other than burst pipes, insulation will also prevent leaks that might seem small but have a significant impact. Most DIY enthusiasts consider installation of pipe insulation an easy task, but it is far from it. Without installation by a certified plumber, the methods of insulation will be mostly inefficient. As such, professional pipe insulation is vital, irrespective of the length of your pipes.
