Steps You Can Take to Prevent Pipes from Bursting

While it looks like it will be warming up over the next few days here in the Sioux Empire, let's not kid each other, it's still cold. Maybe not -20 below zero cold, but still damn cold!

Cold enough that we need to continue to take precautions to ensure cold weather disasters don't happen to our cars, homes, and most importantly ourselves, and our families.

During this recent bout of frigid temps over the past week or so, in addition to people losing power, cars not starting, car doors being frozen shut, and all the other little things that make living in South Dakota this time of year grand, a few people had to contend with pipes bursting in their homes and places of business due to the extreme cold.

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One such businesses is the Willow Run GreatLIFE location. The cold weather forced a sprinkler to burst on Monday afternoon (February 15). Willow Run GreatLIFE General Manager Jacki Pranger told Dakota News Now, “With this cold weather we’re not the only ones it sounds like in the area that this is happening to with that negative air temp out there happening."

The below zero temperatures are making it challenging for people all over the Sioux Empire right now.

Alan Gentry, the owner of Comfort Heroes, a plumbing and heating company in Sioux Falls told Dakota News Now, "The swing in the temperatures to go from 40 degrees down to –25 or –30 degrees with the windchill has been very hard. We’ve had an overwhelming number of phone calls come in for frozen pipes and furnaces out and people that are concerned about frozen pipes,”

There are a few steps a person can take to prevent the cold weather from wreaking havoc on the pipes in your home. Professionals recommend running a blow dryer over your pipes if possible or run your facets more frequently.

According to Dakota News Now, Gentry recommends “The best thing you can do is open up some cabinets underneath there to let some of the warmer air get into where the pipes are. The other thing is on nights where it’s going to be very, very cold if you can just leave a faucet dribbling a small amount it will keep the water inside the pipe moving."

It sounds like one thing you definitely do not want to do is use something like a blow torch to prevent pipes from freezing. Gentry said that's a very good way to start something in your home on fire or possibly do damage to the plumbing inside your home.

Probably the smartest measure a person can take is to call a professional who is trained to deal with this type of situation. Sure it might cost a little extra money, but in the long run, it could end up saving you big time!

Source: Dakota News Now