Tips for keeping your pipes from freezing amid Kentucky’s bone-chilling temperatures

Aaron Mudd

Bone-chilling cold is on its way to Kentucky, with the National Weather Service issuing a wind chill warning starting at 10 p.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday.

Sub-zero wind chills are expected to linger throughout the holiday weekend, posing risks for anyone who remains outside for even relatively short periods of time without proper protective clothing.

But the bitter cold could also threaten your home, too, if you don’t take the right precautions to protect your pipes. Here are some tips to help prevent frozen pipes and save you a nasty repair bill.

At what temperature do pipes begin to freeze in a house?

There’s no magic temperature, but advice from Consumer Reports, indicates the “temperature alert threshold” is 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is especially true if you have uninsulated pipes running through uninsulated spaces, like exposed outdoor pipes.

Of course, with wind chills as low as -25 or -30 degrees Thursday night and Friday morning or lost heat, pipes can freeze even faster.

How do I make sure my pipes don’t freeze?

You may have heard several of these tips before, but as a reminder, the American Red Cross recommends:

  • Open the cabinet doors under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Of course, also make sure you have any harmful cleaning products out of reach of children.

  • When it comes to your thermostat, set it and forget it. Leave the thermostat tuned to a constant temperature all day and night. You’ll pay a bit more on your electric bill, sure, but it beats losing thousands of dollars to a burst pipe, and every bit helps. If you’re away from home, set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees.

  • When the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, run a drip from the faucets. Even just a trickle of cold water can help.

  • Don’t forget to close your garage door.

Should you lose heat at some point and you turn on a faucet only to discover just a trickle comes out, here’s what the Red Cross recommends for dealing with a frozen pipe:

  • Keep that faucet turned on. Melting water will flow through the pipe as you treat it, in turn melting other ice along the way.

  • Apply heat to the section of the pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe. You could also use a hair dryer, or a portable space heater away from flammable material. Even wrapped towels soaked in hot water will do. Just don’t use a blow torch, kerosene, propane, charcoal or other open flames.

  • Keep applying the heat until you notice full water pressure has been restored. If you can’t locate the frozen pipe (typically against exterior walls or where water service enters your home) call a licensed plumber.

  • If you have one frozen pipe, make sure to also check the other faucets in your home. Others could be frozen, too.

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