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Building Maintenance 101: How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing in NYC Winters

As wintertime approaches in New York City, landlords and property managers turn to maintenance related to the cold weather season. One of the most common questions we get from clients at Sanitary Plumbing is how to prevent pipes from freezing. Here are four ways to protect your building’s pipes, plus a list of pro tips on how to tell if your pipes are in need of insulation.

How to Prevent Pipes from Freezing

Leave the Heat On

Whether you run a huge apartment building or a duplex, leaving the heat on is key to preventing pipes from freezing. Tenants often completely shut off their heat for a variety of reasons, including saving on energy bills or leaving to go out of town. However, having no heat running when the mercury takes a dip can result in frozen pipes that eventually burst and cause massive water damage.

Let tenants know that even if they are not going to be home, they must leave the heat on at a minimum temperature. Usually, about 55 degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient to prevent pipes from freezing.

Encourage tenants to have someone check in on their unit if they plan to leave home during those particularly icy spells that hit a few times each year. A friend or building superintendent can make sure their home stays warm enough and double-check that the water is running freely on the coldest of days.

Prevent Unnecessary Heat Loss

Before the snow flies, check your property for places where heat can be lost, causing pipes to freeze. In smaller properties, this may be a garage or laundry room, where the door should always be kept closed in winter.

Other places where heat frequently escapes and cold air enters include:

• Attics and uppermost units near the roof
• Basements and crawl spaces
• Places where pipes and other elements enter the building, such as under sinks
• Under doors and around windows

Make sure any gaps are sealed and your structure is properly insulated. This will not only help keep your building’s pipes from freezing, but it will also save on heating bills.

Remove Outside Hoses

In autumn before the first freeze of the winter occurs, drain and remove any hoses used outside, such as for landscape work or cleaning. If a hose is left attached and still contains water from its last use, the water can freeze and expand into the adjacent pipe. The pipe could burst, and the valve could break as well. If possible, shut off the water source to that spigot until spring.

Insulate Pipes Properly

In some cases, following the advice above still isn’t sufficient. You may need to insulate some pipes if there is no other way to keep them warm in winter. For example, pipes under a kitchen or bathroom sink along a cold wall may not get enough ambient heat from the room. You can ask tenants to leave cabinet doors open, but this may not be to their liking (especially with small children or pets in the unit), or they may simply forget.

If you only have a few easy-to-access spots where you need pipe insulation, you may be able to do the job yourself. You can purchase segments of insulation or sleeves to place over exposed pipes. If you have a large number of pipes that need protection, or if the pipes are harder to reach, we’re happy to come out and do the job for you.

How to Tell if Your Pipes Need Insulation

Warning signs and symptoms

So, how do you know if a pipe needs insulation before you have a problem with it freezing? Take note of any of these situations, and confer with your plumber:

• Condensation on a pipe or moisture, mold, or mildew in the general area
• Visible frost or ice on a pipe
• Heat or hot water not sufficient (water cooling before it reaches its destination)
• Boiler cycling constantly
• Excessive utility bills
• Signs of previous water damage in that location
• Poor insulation in the vicinity (cold exterior walls)
• Areas with pipes that receive little to no sunshine or no heat from the nearby area
• Pipes in older or historic buildings that may not be up to date

Our in-house pipe insulation team is available to assess and resolve your needs ASAP.

Worried about pipes freezing in your New York City property this winter? Call Sanitary Plumbing at 212-734-5000 or use our online message form to schedule an appointment. Don’t wait until temperatures plummet and you’re stuck with a burst pipe! Reach out today, and we’ll help you get through winter without any freezing pipe disasters.