CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With cold temperatures approaching, pipe insulation is flying off the shelves at local hardware stores.
The holidays might be over but the cold weather is here to stay for now. This means taking extra precautions to protect the pipes in your home from damage as temperatures drop lower than usual.
When it comes to pipes, the size and thickness makes a big difference. Thinner pipes have a higher risk of being damaged by cold weather, which is where insulation comes into play.
The insulation can be for pipes or faucets, and havoc tape can be used for especially thin pipes. According to McCoy's Building Supply employee, Orion Carpio insulation can help prevent the possibility of a costly repair.
"Some pipes are a little thinner than most. I want to say, if I remember correctly, the sewer pipes are thin and the regular PVC pipes are actually pretty thick," Carpio said. "What the insulation does is it actually prevents them from busting. So if you have a spot that's not super insulated, it could possibly bust during the cold front. It just expands the pipe until it cracks."
Carpio warns against panic buying to avoid overwhelming stores by taking their entire supply of cold-preventative materials. He adds that the best way to handle cold fronts is to prepare in advance and be courteous to other shoppers that may need the same thing.
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