Boston Plumbing and Heating Blog

We have had our fair share of below freezing temperatures in Boston and Worcester this winter. Plumbers have been busy this winter because when the temperature plummets, the risk of having frozen pipes goes up. Frozen pipes are one of the most common causes of property damage during this kind of weather. The frozen pipes most often occur in unheated interior spaces like basements, attics, and garages. But pipes that run through your cabinets or that are against an exterior wall are also at risk.

How to prevent your pipes from freezing and how to thaw them if they do.

How to prevent pipes from freezing

Take measures to keep your pipes warm and water running when it gets below freezing outside.

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water pipes in the garage.
• Open cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathrooms to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
• Let the cold water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe—even at a trickle—helps prevent pipes from freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature during the day and night.
• If you plan to be away, leave the heat set to a temperature no lower than 55° F on in your home.
• For the long term, add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in those areas.

How to thaw your pipes

If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe. Most likely, the pipes against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation are the ones that are frozen. If the water is still running, you can take the following steps but if you suspect a more serious problem, call a plumber.

• Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials), or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove, or other open flame device.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.
• If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you can not thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber in Boston.

If your you need supplemental heat, you can add a space heater to a room where pipes may be at risk. For plumbing repair following frozen pipes, or for more information, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Consumer Reports

Last week we discussed low-flow toilets, and how your home’s plumbing may not be able to accommodate them. However, if you can replace a toilet with a low-flow toilet in your home, you can shave as much as $90 off your annual utility bill and send thousands fewer gallons of water down the drain.

In 1994 low-flow toilets became popular. While they saved water, they weren’t great at actually flushing. Today’s low-flow toilets work better. Many are better performers and some also use even less water than the federal standard. If you’re in the market for a new toilet, it pays to consider high-efficiency toilets (HET). You’ll save a lot of money (and water).

Look for high performing toilets

The EPA’s WaterSense label identifies HETs that have been certified by independent laboratories. They’re rated according to Maximum Performance (MaP) testing protocols, which measure the toilets’ ability to remove waste. MaP scores range from 250 to 1,000.  The EPA has adopted 350 grams as its minimum performance threshold, and anything over 500 is very good.

Choose how to flush

Like standard low-flow toilets, HETs come with different flush options. The one you choose depends on how “green” you want to be, how much you’re willing to spend, and your tolerance for noise. Most residential toilets in the U.S. are gravity-flush, which relies on the weight of water flowing into the bowl to help remove waste. Pressure-assist toilets compress air at the top of the tank to increase flush velocity, so they can do the job with as little as 0.8 gallons of water. While this makes for a powerful flush, they are loud.

Some low-flow designs like the Kohler Hatbox is so streamlined that it doesn’t even have a tank and flushes with the aid of an electric pump. While it is efficient with less noise, it is a more complicated installation and costlier maintenance.

Your savings

Toilets account for about 27% of a household’s indoor water usage, so trading up to a high-efficiency toilet can yield big savings. According to the EPA, a family of four that replaces its home’s older toilets with WaterSense-labeled models will, on average, save more than $90 per year in reduced water bills and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilets. And, of course, you’ll be saving a lot of water. Pre-1994 toilets send between 3.5 and 7 gallons down the drain with every flush. For a family of four, that adds up to about 76 gallons a day.

For more information on replacing toilets in your home, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

houselogic.com

Many homes around Boston and Worcester are older homes. Today, more and more homeowners are interested in saving money and resources, which has people investigating low-flow toilets. Older homes were built assuming that toilets would use more than 3 gallons of water for flushing. Today’s low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons.

If you are considering changing to a more efficient toilet, keep in mind that there is a chance the plumbing in your older home may not be sufficient.

The pipes that take waste away from your toilet and your home need to slope between 1/8-in. and 1/4-in. per foot for the water to carry solid waste to the sewer. If the pipes are too steep or too level, the flow of water allows waste to collect in the pipe and that means you could get clogged toilets. Some old homes may even have a “negative slope” where water stands in the pipe. With a negative slope the waste is carried away only by the force of gallons of water flowing through the pipes because you have an older toilet that uses several gallons of water.

Here are a couple signs that your plumbing may not work for low-flow toilets:

• The original toilet occasionally clogs, even when not flushing solids. This could be the toilet or a clogged waste pipe.
• After lifting the toilet off the floor you see standing water in the waste line. That is a sign that your pipes have a negative slope.

In both scenarios a professional plumber can fix the problem. If your plumber says your plumbing may not work for a low-flow toilet, consider having a fixture with a pressure-assisted flush installed. When the toilet is flushed compressed air is released that forces the water out of the bowl and forcing it down the drain.

For  more information on if your home can handle a low flow toilet, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Frozen pipes occur most frequently when they are exposed to severe cold, like those in unheated interior areas like basements and crawl spaces, attics, garages or kitchen cabinets.

With the cold arctic air and wind chills that have been hanging around Worcester and Boston we have been experiencing some of the coldest weather in years. With single digit temperatures, frozen water pipes in unheated basements and crawl spaces are a concern for homeowners.

The American Red Cross suggests tips on how to prevent pipes from freezing and what to do if water pipes freeze.

Why Pipe Freezing is a Problem

Water expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on metal or plastic pipes. No matter how strong, expanding water can cause pipes to break. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, and 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 are also subject to freezing.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Before the onset of cold weather, prevent freezing of water supply lines and pipes by following these recommendations:

• 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.  
• 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.
• Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the basement, crawl space, attic, 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.

During Cold Weather:

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
• 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.
• 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.
• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.
• Do not pour antifreeze in your pipes to prevent freezing. It is the pipes that bring water to your home that you want to prevent from freezing. Additionally, antifreeze is a poisonous, hazardous substance, you don’t want this in your sewage system or leaking  into your soil.

To Thaw Frozen Pipes

• If you turn on a faucet and only a trickle comes out, suspect a frozen pipe.
• Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and the frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe.
• Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater, or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water.
• Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. If you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber in Boston.
• Check all other faucets in your home to find out if you have additional frozen pipes. If one pipe freezes, others may freeze, too.

Future Protection

• Consider relocating exposed pipes to provide increased protection from freezing.
• Pipes can be relocated by a professional plumber if the home is remodeled.
• Add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in these areas.

For more information, please contact a licensed plumber like Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Temperatures are falling into the teens and below, and a big Nor'easter has arrived. Both have plumbers preparing for overtime. Protecting water pipes is your first line of defense.

Plumbers will tell you that there's no substitute for insulating water pipes from the cold. Plumbers keep boxes of pipe insulation for water lines that could be exposed to freezing temperatures. They say water lines buried at least 18-inches in the ground rarely freeze in our area. But if they're exposed to a cold foundation wall or in a draft from outside air, there's a possibility of cracked pipes and big leaks. The pipes freeze, the water freezes, and the water pipes crack. Once the water defrosts, you will see the pipes leaking, you don’t know you have a problem until you have big-time water problems.

Older homes are more vulnerable to frozen pipes because of the plumbing that may not be insulated between the floor and the ground. Homeowners are also warned to remove hoses from foundation faucets that can cause split pipes during freezing temperatures.

Pipe insulation is easy to install is usually available at home improvement stores. If you have problems with frozen or cracked pipes this winter, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.