With much of the United States grappling with a winter storm this week, it’s a good time to review the best way to keep pipes from freezing.
The helpful video comes from Cowboy Plumbing Services (@cowboyplumbingservicestx), a New Braunfels, Texas-based plumbing company, billed as part two of a video series. Part One arrived Monday, getting a little more than 96,000 views as of this writing, covering how to properly cover an outdoor faucet.
Part Two, also arriving Monday, shows the best way to keep a bathroom faucet running and has more than 1.5 million views.
In it, a Cowboy representative states, “You have a freeze, and it gets below freezing for a long period of time, during the day, during the night, you always want to run the hot.”
He then models how to run the hot water, showing that it shouldn’t be a mere drip or a torrent but rather a thin, continuous stream of water.
“Can you see that?” he asks. “Just enough to keep the hot water flowing, so when the hot water is flowing, the cold water is flowing, maybe not through here, but through your entire house, and that’s why you need the hot, so both lines are getting water movement.”
But, as it turns out, some might disagree with this advice.
What happens if pipes freeze?
First, though, we must ask: how important is it to tend to pipes in cold weather? For those who don’t, it can cost real money.
According to ConsumerAffairs, “You can expect to pay between $150 and $5,000 for frozen pipe repairs. The average cost is typically around $500, but costs vary depending on the type of pipe and labor.”
That article adds, “The plumber may just thaw your pipe if it is frozen but not burst. If it’s leaking, it may cost more to repair. The price also depends on the location of the frozen pipes. If they are underground or in water due to leaks, pumping and excavation fees may cost closer to $5,000.”
It does note that it is possible to do it yourself, provided you don’t mind getting down to terra firma as part of the task. “It is relatively simple,” the article states, “and all you will need is a new section of PVC or copper piping, joint connectors, a pipe wrench and plumbing flux. You can also try applying pipe clamps, epoxy putty, Teflon or plumber’s tape to the hole to fix the leak temporarily.”
The Neighborhood Plumbing site warns of additional costs, like property damage from mold and structural issues, increased utility bills, and increased insurance premiums.
@cowboyplumbingservicestx 🚰 How to “drip” your faucets before freezing temps❄️- ❗️As mentioned in our previous video, dripping the hot side of your faucet can help prevent frozen pipes. We decided to give a visual example on what that means. Hope this saves some pipes this winter!! 🥶
♬ original sound – Cowboy Plumbing Services
What commenters said
The topic brought some opinions to the table.
“Not the hot!” one contended. “The hot is coming from your hot water heater. The water lines in danger are the cold lines on outer walls of the house. Keep the COLD water trickling.”
“Well my grandpa told me it’s cold so sticking with that,” another chimed in. “Sorry, country people know.”
Someone else took issue with the steady stream, saying, “You can definitely use a slower drip than that.”
Another quipped, “My water bill went up $87 just watching this.”
But as someone else pointed out, “It’s better than $1500 in repairs.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Cowboy via online contact form and TikTok comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
