LITTLE ROCK, Ark — With freezing weather in the forecast, freezing pipes are something many homeowners are worried about. Plumbing experts told us there are a few things you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing.
“It all depends on where your plumbing is placed and how it is. You’re not a plumber, you’re not going to know, so the safest thing to do is let the whole house drip a little bit and you won’t have nothing to worry about,” said Eric Scroggins with Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Water Cleanup.
You read that right, Scroggins said leaving all your faucets dripping is the safest thing to do -- that includes your shower.
“I would leave them all. It’s not going to hurt to leave them all dripping. A little bit more expensive water bill is a lot cheaper than a high plumbing bill,” said Scroggins.
There are a few more things you can do. To protect your indoor plumbing pipes, the best thing you can do is try and keep them as warm as possible.
“In the bathroom, in the kitchen sink, if those fixtures are facing the exterior, you want and try to keep heat into that room, whether if it’s a sink, you want to open the cabinet doors and allow heat underneath of it,” said Jonathan Matson with Arrow Plumbing.
As for your outside pipes, you can buy accessories to keep them covered and warm.
“They sell foam covers for your outside hose bibs, they also sell heating tape that you can put on your pipes to try help keep them warm, but like I say, the best thing you can do is leave your pipes dripping,” said Scroggins.
If those pipes do burst, it may be a while before you can get them repaired.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a way of going in and unfreezing the lines, so we have to wait until the weather warms, the pipes de-thaw a little bit and so there’s no breaks,” said Matson.