Stop frozen pipes in rentals

[Timothy W.]

I can't believe I didn't think of this one before.

If you're in a cold area, do this or have this done:

1. Go into the basement or crawlspace and find 2 pipes. First, find the pipe that is your hot water going out from your water heater, then find the pipe that is your cold water feed after where the main feeds the water heater.

2. Cut the pipe if copper, pvc or pex and install a push fit shut off valve. If it's galvanized, try going to where it switches over to copper/pvc or pex, if it does. If not, this be something you can wait to do when you update the plumbing.

3. Immediately after you install a push fit shut off valve, cut the plumbing line again and install a push fit bleeder valve (looks like a water spicket).

4. When the cold weather comes, if your property is vacant, turn the shut off valve and open the bleeder valve. Water in the lines within the house will come out and you will not get a freeze break anywhere in the property above the basement/crawlspace level (assuming you don't shut off the main). If you do shut off the main, open the bleeder anyway to take water out of the system so existing water doesn't break your lines.

5. If you do get a freeze break, you now have a shut off valve to that line which: A. Allows you to work on a broken line without shutting all water off in the building. B. Isolate which line is broken before you open walls. C. Assuming your tenants call you, you can talk them to the shut off valve while you or someone is en route and tell them to turn it. This will stop the water damage.

Total cost for this will be about 15-25 bucks in parts and if you do it yourself, maybe 20 minutes of time