There are a few things you can do to prevent the problem of freezing pipes from occurring again.- Leave the faucet drip slightly as a trickle. The dripping water will keep the water in the pipe from freezing.
- Open kitchen base cabinet and let room air circulate.
- Open kitchen base cabinet and place a small portable heater near or in it to heat the pipes.
- Wrap the problem pipe with electrical heat tape.
- Insulate the problem pipes with foam insulation wrap, especially those that run through unheated spaces.
- Temper the currently unheated crawlspace by placing a heater in the crawlspace. You just need to elevate the crawlspace temperature to modestly above freezing, about 40°F.
Remove the Hose!
In addition to the steps outlined above, there is one more that is guaranteed to save you major grief! That is the removal of any garden hoses you have attached to your hose bibbs (outside faucets).
Remove any hoses you have attached to your outdoor faucets and then go in the house and turn off the water to the outside faucet (also called a sill cock or hose bibb). It is critical to remove any hoses attached to the outside faucet! An attached garden hose is sure recipe for frozen pipe damage this winter.
The sill cock only turns water on and off outside, there is (or is supposed to be) a water shut off valve inside the house for the outside faucet. You may have to do some investigating in your home following water supply lines to try and find the shut off valve. They are usually located near the outside faucet.
By removing any hoses and turning off the water supply to the sill cock you have averted major risk of water damage done by a burst frozen pipe.
* By Bob Formisano, About.com Guide
