Yes, pipes can freeze with the heat on. The thermostat warms the rooms, but pipes inside exterior walls, under sinks on outside walls, along a drafty basement sill or on an enclosed porch sit where cold air hits them directly, and on the coldest nights they freeze anyway. Frozen right now? Call (413) 603-1274.
Where it happens
- Exterior wall cavities, especially in older homes with little insulation
- Kitchen and bathroom sinks on outside walls, with cabinet doors closed
- The rim joist, at the top of the basement wall, where cold air leaks in around pipes and wires
- Enclosed back porches and stairwells in two- and three-deckers
- Additions over crawl spaces
- Garages with laundry or water lines
Wind makes it worse
A pipe in a wall cavity with a draft freezes far faster than one in still air. On windy nights in Chicopee, especially in the open areas around Westover and Fairview, cold air pushes through small gaps in siding and foundations and straight onto pipes. Sealing those gaps is often the real fix.
On a cold night
- Keep the thermostat steady, day and night
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls
- Drip faucets on cold walls. See should you drip faucets
- Close garage and porch doors
For good
If the same pipe freezes every winter, it needs air sealing, insulation, listed heat cable or rerouting inside the heated space. See pipe freeze protection.
Common culprits in Chicopee homes
- The rim joist: the top of the basement wall where the house framing sits. In older homes it is often uninsulated and leaky, and the main water line runs right along it
- Kitchen sink cabinets on outside walls: the cabinet doors block room heat from reaching the pipes
- Enclosed porches: heated only by what leaks in from the house
- Bathrooms over porches or crawl spaces: the floor below is outside air
- Knee walls in Capes: pipes to an upstairs bath that pass near cold attic space
How to find the cold spot
On a cold, windy night, hold the back of your hand near the pipes along the basement sill and inside the sink cabinet. A draft you can feel is enough to freeze a pipe in single digits. An inexpensive infrared thermometer shows you exactly where the cold is coming in. Mark those spots and seal them with foam or caulk, then insulate the pipe. If the same pipe freezes every winter despite that, moving it to an inside wall is the lasting fix. See repiping.
Heat settings that help
Do not set the thermostat lower at night during a deep freeze. Keep it steady, and keep doors to bathrooms and kitchens open so warm air reaches them.
If a pipe froze once with the heat on, assume it will again in the next deep freeze until the draft reaching it is sealed.
Questions
My house was at 68°F and a pipe still froze. Will insurance cover it?
Keeping the heat on is the kind of reasonable care most policies expect. Damage from a sudden burst is usually covered. See burst pipe insurance.
Should I turn the heat up higher?
A degree or two helps, but opening cabinets and dripping faucets on cold walls does more for the pipes at risk.
Frozen with the heat on? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee.