Acquiring a burst pipe does not only result in plumbing replacement. This plumbing problem also has the potential of wreaking havoc on your property by causing structural damage to your home due to excessive water exposure. Nonetheless, burst pipes do not occur on a whim. Although burst pipes can happen for several reasons, this issue will commonly crop up when the pipes have been exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing them to freeze. Thus, it tends to come about when people go away on holiday escaping the cold Australian weather, only to come back to their home and find a plumbing emergency on their hands. If you plan on vacationing during the winter months, here are some proactive measures that you can take to defend your plumbing against the risk of burst pipes.

Keep exposed plumbing insulated

Any plumbing pipes that are exposed to the outdoor air during winter will have an increased likelihood of freezing. Therefore, an ideal place to start when looking to prevent burst pipes would be inspecting your plumbing from the bottom to the top of your home. Any pipes that are located close to windows or in crawl spaces should be covered using heat tape to provide them with an insular layer against the dropping temperatures. DIY homeowners can install this heat tape on their own, but for hard to reach areas, it would be recommended to hire a professional plumber.

Keep your home heated

One of the first things homeowners would do before they go on vacation is turn off their hating in an attempt to keep their electricity costs low. Although this is a logical measure to take, you should bear in mind that a cold interior could mean coming back to the exorbitant costs of a plumbing emergency. Instead of turning off the heat, leave the thermostat at a reasonable temperature to retain optimum temperatures inside your home, decreasing the risk of your pipes freezing.

Keep cabinets opened

Another common location for plumbing pipes, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms, is in under-sink cabinets. If these cabinets have been constructed against an exterior facing wall, then it would be ideal to leave them open when you go on vacation. As cold air seeps in from the outside into the cabinets, the piping will become colder. Any water still lingering within these pipes starts to freeze, increasing the risk of the hardware bursting. When you keep the cabinets open, the warm temperatures indoors will minimise this risk. Moreover, it is also recommended to leave these taps dripping so that water does not get the chance to collect and freeze inside the piping.