(Lewis) As the cold weather sets in a recurring challenge, every winter in Iowa is keeping the water, you use from freezing.
Shawn Shouse, Region 3 Field and Ag Engineer with Iowa State University and Outreach said keeping water thawed requires adequate heat to keep the water temperature above freezing. The three most common approaches are adding heat with a heating device, insulating heat, and adding heat by bringing in warmer water.
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Shouse says household water pipes in exterior walls can freeze in extreme weather.
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Shouse says to make sure there is sufficient insulation between the outside of the wall and the water pipes. Removing insulation between the inside room and the pipes can let more room heat get to the waterline. In extreme cases, letting a trickle of water run all night will constantly replace the cold water in the pipes with warmer freshwater.
