Frozen Pipe Season in Ocean County, New Jersey

1/12/2022 (Permalink)

This is what a water pipe may look like after it freezes and begins to thaw.

Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes in your Toms River Property:

• Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.

• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.

• When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing.

• Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.

• If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.

These tips from the American Red Cross could help prevent water damage to your property and belongings during the cold winter months in New Jersey. 

Why is it bad for water to freeze inside a pipe?

Water has a unique property in that it expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. No matter the strength of a container, expanding water can cause pipes to break. Anytime there is any sort of warm-up or thaw, after a period of freezing temperatures, you get an expansion of the pipes, so usually the next 24 hours after that pipes start to break.

The first thing you need to do after a frozen pipe bursts is to your shut off the water, but make sure it is safe to turn it off. 

In the unfortunate event your Ocean County, call SERVPRO of Toms River for all your water damage cleanup needs 24/7 at 732-349-9898.