Keeping water pipes from freezing in crawl (insurance, how much)

[Michaelrj9]

I am new to the area and a bit concerned on the water pipes freezing when the temp is in the 10-20° range.

I have an older house on a crawl with mixed Copper pipe & PCV pipe. I have covers on the outdoor spigots but don't think they do too much good anyway at that temp and when the pipe is exposed in the crawl space anyways.

Any concern here?

A little too late for this now but...
Should the crawl vents be covered in the winter time?
Does it help with the split foam that goes on to the pipes?
Does letting the water drip really help that much? if so how much and every faucet?

Anything else?

Thanks for the suggestions.

[dijkstra]

The covers on the outdoor faucets help a lot more than you think if you don't have frost proof type outdoor faucets. If you do have frost proof (the kind where the faucet extends into the house a foot or more and the valve is actually at the end inside your house a foot or more) the covers are not necessary. If you don't have frost proof, next summer replace them with frost proof so you don't have to worry about that anymore.

The crawlspace vents should be closed. If they don't have grills that open and close, you need to cover them. Foam board insulation works good for this. Once those are closed or covered, if you have central heat with ducts underneath the house in the crawlspace, you most likely won't have to worry about frozen pipes underneath the house.

It definitely helps a lot to have the pipes insulated with the split foam type insulation. This is one of the best measures you can take and it is inexpensive.

Letting the water drip will definitely help keep pipes from freezing. You usually don't have to let them all drip. Usually just the one closest to where the water enters the house from the main line but if you have any that are close to air leaks in the foundation that are susceptible to freezing, you may need to let them drip as well.

[LCTMadison]

You can close your crawl vents, but I wouldn't leave them closed long past the cold spell. Other issues can develop from closing off the crawlspace and limiting ventilation there. Like DJ said, you can install the foam insulation over the vents, but if you decide to leave it like that permanently you need a dehumidifier installed in the crawlspace to prevent moisture issues. Sealed crawlspaces are really becoming very popular.

Split foam insulating the pipes cannot hurt.

Water dripping does prevent the water from sitting and freezing in the pipes....again, doesn't hurt. Drip warm water.

You can also leave cabinet doors open under sinks where piping is to keep the warm heat from the house on the pipes. We do this for all our pipes that are on exterior walls.

Edit: My insurance bud just sent me this so I thought I would share

Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing
•Disconnect all gardening hoses and install covers on all outside faucets.
•Keep your house temperature at 68 degrees or higher, even if you're leaving the house for an extended period of time.
•Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow heat from the home to circulate.
•Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. (Learning the location of these valves may come in handy during an emergency.)
•Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or with heating tape. This can prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls.
•Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently.
•Heat your basement and consider weather sealing your windows.
•Insulate outside walls and unheated areas of your home.
•If you plan to be away from home for an extended period of time, shut off water supply valves to your washing machine.

Monitor Freezing Pipe Conditions
•Allow a faucet to drip slightly (lukewarm water) in order to minimize freezing.
•The first sign of freezing is reduced water flow from a faucet.
•Check your faucets for water flow and pressure before you go to sleep and again when you wake up.
•Check pipes around your water meter, in unheated areas, near exterior walls and in crawl spaces.
•These tend to be vulnerable to freezing conditions.
•Identify cold air drafts coming in from a flue or chimney chase and caulk gaps that are near pipes.

If a Pipe Freezes
•If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
•To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.
•When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out.

If a Pipe Bursts
•Shut off water at the main valve.
•If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.
•Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access

[mike42089]

if you leave the water trickling it cannot freeze trust me I'm in Northern Iowa the **** works