Freeze Warning
This article reviews what a Freeze Warning alert from the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff is, what to do when you receive the alert, and how to prevent freezing pipes.
Freeze Warning is a warning related to the water temperature inside of the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff reaching a near freezing level. When the water inside the valve is reaching 36 degrees, a Freeze Warning Alert will be sent.
Water has a unique property in that it expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including copper or plastic pipes. No matter the strength of the pipe, expanding water can cause pipes to break.
Pipes that freeze most frequently are:
- Pipes that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and water sprinkler lines.
- Water supply pipes in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets.
- Pipes that run against exterior walls that have little or no insulation.
What do I do about a Freeze Warning?
Depending on whether or not you are home, there are a number of preventative steps to take to avoid freezing pipes.
When the weather is very cold outside:
- Let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to remove any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
- Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
- Keep Garage Doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
Preventative Measures to Protect Pipes from Freezing:
If you are leaving your home for an extended period of time when there will be a chance of very cold temperatures
- Leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.
- Consider draining all the water in your home before leaving for extended periods of time.
Before the onset of cold weather
- Drain water from swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines following manufacturer's or installer's directions. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed. Antifreeze is environmentally harmful and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife, and landscaping.
- Remove, drain, and store hoses used outdoors. Close inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibs. Open the outside hose bibs to allow water to drain. Keep the outside valve open so that any water remaining in the pipe can expand without causing the pipe to break.
- Add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in these areas.
- Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated.
- Consider installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a "pipe sleeve" or installing UL-listed "heat tape," "heat cable," or similar materials on exposed water pipes. Newspaper can provide some degree of insulation and protection to exposed pipes – even ¼” of newspaper can provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.
- Consider relocating exposed pipes to provide increased protection from freezing. Obviously, this would be expensive and require the help of a plumbing professional, but that may be the best way to avoid an inevitable plumbing failure.