Why You Should Always Keep Your Heat on in the Winter

Posted on February 19th, 2016 by Devine Bros

Wintertime is synonymous with cold weather, hot chocolate, and high energy bills. In an effort to save money, many homeowners will turn off their heat when they are at work or away on vacation.

While this seems like a good idea in theory, in practice it is not.

Winter presents many challenges for homeowners, such as ice dams, heating equipment issues, slip hazards, and frozen pipes. The last one in particular can be very troublesome, as one small pipe burst can easily rack up thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home.

As you may recall from science class, water expands when it freezes. This puts an incredible amount of pressure on the inside of your pipes, and eventually they will crack. This most commonly happens in outdoor pipes such as your swimming pool or water sprinkler supply lines, but they can happen indoors too. Pipes that run along the exterior walls of your home in particular are prone to freezing, even when the temperature in your home is nowhere close to 32°.

For this reason, it is important to always keep your heat on at least 60° F during the colder months. This includes overnight, during the day when everyone is at work, and especially when you leave your house on vacation for extended periods.

Some other ways to prevent frozen pipes include:

• Keep your under-the-sink cabinets open to allow warm air to circulate there.

• Insulate all pipes that run along exterior walls or that are located in unheated areas of the home. Pipe insulation is cheap and only takes a second to install.

• Close all windows, cover all vents, and seal all air leaks that are near pipes. Cold temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more quickly.

Keeping your heat on doesn’t have to cost you a fortune with Devine Bros. We offer a variety of affordable home heating solutions to Fairfield County including heating oil, propane, and BioHeat delivery. If you live in Norwalk, Westport, New Canaan, or the surrounding area, give us a call at (203) 866-4421.