We Fix Broken & Busted Pipes in Austin

How to Prevent Broken Pipes

Pipes break when you least expect them and can cause severe water damage to your home. Fortunately, it is possible to prevent pipe damage through regular maintenance of your plumbing system and special care during winter weather.

Frozen Pipes

In Central Texas, we don't see a lot of freezing winter days. Unfortunately, this means that many people in the area are unprepared to care for their plumbing when the temperature drops. When water freezes, it expands in volume by about 9 percent. But, it also expands in pressure going from 40 pounds per square inch to up to 40,000 psi! This additional pressure is actually what makes freezing the most common cause of busted pipes. Any time the forecast says freezing weather is a possibility, you must do a few simple things:

• Turn Your Faucets On - To keep water flowing through your pipes and make it more difficult to freeze, turn your faucets on to a slight drizzle and leave it on until temperatures rise above freezing. It is important to note that you need to keep both the hot and cold water on since these are two separate systems.
• Open Your Cabinets - Your kitchen sink and bathroom cabinets often conceal piping. You should open the doors of any cabinets with plumbing inside so that heat from the room can permeate through to the pipes.
• Detach Garden Hoses - Even when you turn off the spigot to your garden hose, there is still some water trapped in the hose. To prevent the possibility of this water entering the line and freezing, it's best to completely detach any hoses.
• Insulate Outside Spigots - Everyone knows to use the hose bibb cover for the winter time. However, if it dips way below freezing, you will want added insulation before using a hose bibb cover. You can purchase an insulated faucet cover like the one pictured below at most hardware stores.

Weather in Austin can be completely unpredictable. If you leave your house for an extended time during the winter, you should leave the heat on in your house so that it does not drop below 55 degrees. This will help pipes maintain some level of warmth.

Clogged Pipes

It's inevitable that some foreign objects are going to get stuck up in your pipes at some point in time. Food, hair, paper, toys (you'd be surprised what kids will flush down the toilet!), greasy substances, and mineral build up can collect over time and clog your pipes. This can be incredibly inconvenient when your drains get slow or back up, but it also causes water pressure to build above normal levels in your pipes. This pressure can cause pipes to crack and break, especially if there are already vulnerable points. If you start to notice low water pressure, slow drains, or backed up fixtures, call us to clean your drain so we can relieve that pressure right away.

Old Pipes

Plumbing technology has vastly improved over the last few decades. Prior to 1970, homes were piped with clay tile, cast iron, and thin wall PVC pipes. These materials will break down after 50 to 75 years in use. If your home uses these outdated materials, you can pretty much guarantee you'll be dealing with multiple broken and busted pipes down the road. To avoid the headache of plumbing emergencies and save your home from unexpected water damage, you might want to consider repiping to modern thick wall PVC. We know this can be an expensive investment, but we do offer 0% interest financing for 12 months to help.