Two Tasks In Two Minutes Can Help Prevent Frozen Pipes

Bloomington, Ill., Dec. 5, 2007 -- Thousands of families have one or more rooms in their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter by water pipes freezing and breaking, warns the nation’s largest insurer of homes, State Farm Insurance®.

According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety, claim payments by all insurance companies over the past decade for these kinds of losses have exceeded $4 billion.

When the outside temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, water pipes in homes with little or no insulation are likely to freeze and break.  In fact, a one-eighth crack in a pipe can spew out more than 250 gallons of water a day, destroying floors, furniture, appliances and personal items.

Homeowners can avoid frozen pipes by having adequate insulation where pipes run along outside walls, floors and ceilings.  They can disconnect outside garden hoses, wrap exposed pipes with insulating sleeves or tape, and seal foundation cracks that let arctic air freeze pipes in crawlspaces.

Additionally, there are two simple tasks homeowners can do in about two minutes that can help protect pipes and homes when a severe freeze is predicted: (1) open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to piping under sinks and vanities near exterior walls, and (2) run a small trickle of water at vulnerable cold and hot faucets.

For more information on avoiding the preventable disaster of frozen pipes, contact State Farm Public Affairs (309-766-3694) or see our Preventing Frozen Pipes article.

ATTENTION NEWS DIRECTORS AND ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

VIDEO AVAILABLE:  Additional information, b-roll, animation, an interview with a University of Illinois researcher, and information on ice dams is also available. The material features an interview with a research architect from the University of Illinois who explains how frozen pipes burst and the aggravation and inconvenience of a frozen pipe.  Animation illustrates what happens when a pipe freezes and bursts. 

VIA PATHFIRE:  This material will be available on the Pathfire Digital Media Gateway (DMG) under the story slug “Frozen Pipes and Ice Dams Prevention Tips.”  If you have questions or problems locating the story, contact Pathfire Customer Support at 888-345-0489 or support@pathfire.com. If you do not have access to Pathfire's DMG please call Jeff McCollum at 309-766-0307.