How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Ypsilanti Rentals & Older Homes

Frozen pipes are one of winter's most preventable disasters — yet they happen every year across Ypsilanti, especially in older homes and rentals where insulation is thin and pipes run through cold spaces. A burst frozen pipe can dump gallons into a home in minutes. Here's how to keep it from happening to you.

Why older homes and rentals freeze

Older Ypsilanti homes often have pipes running through uninsulated crawlspaces, exterior walls, and unheated basements or porches — exactly the spots that get coldest. Rentals add another risk: tenants who turn the heat way down to save money during a break, or who don't know the home's freeze-prone areas. The result is predictable, and preventable.

Before winter: seal and insulate

• Insulate exposed pipes with foam sleeves — especially in crawlspaces, garages, and along exterior walls.
• Seal cold-air leaks near pipes: crawlspace vents, foundation gaps, and openings where lines pass through walls.
• Disconnect garden hoses and shut off/drain outdoor faucets.
• Add heat tape to pipes with a history of freezing, or have a plumber reroute the worst runs to warmer paths.

During cold snaps: keep water and heat moving

• Keep the thermostat steady — never below about 55°F, even when away. This is the single biggest rental risk.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
• Let a faucet drip slightly during extreme cold; moving water is much harder to freeze.
• If you travel, don't shut the heat off — or better, have someone check the home, or shut off and drain the water entirely.

Have pipes that freeze every winter? Call +1 (831) 290-4327 for fast, licensed help from Ypsilanti Plumbing Pros.

For landlords: build it into the lease

If you own rentals, prevention is cheaper than a burst-pipe repair and a displaced tenant. Insulate the vulnerable runs before winter, make sure heat stays on between tenants, and give tenants clear guidance: keep the heat up, report any loss of water in cold weather immediately, and know where the main shutoff is. For chronically freezing homes, a plumber can permanently address the worst spots. We handle this across the Ypsilanti area, including rural spots like Ann Arbor Township where long exposed runs make freezing especially common.

If a pipe freezes anyway

If a faucet goes dry in freezing weather, you likely have a frozen pipe — act before it bursts. Open the faucet, apply gentle heat to the frozen section (never an open flame), and watch for leaks as it thaws. If you can't reach it, no water returns, or you see a leak, call for help. Our frozen pipe repair and thawing is available 24/7, and we can also reroute or upgrade the runs that keep freezing so it stops being an annual event.

Why rentals and older homes freeze first

The homes that freeze aren't random — they're the ones with pipes running through cold, uninsulated space and a thermostat that gets turned too far down. Older Ypsilanti houses often have supply lines in crawlspaces, exterior walls, and unheated porches, and rentals add the risk of a tenant lowering the heat to save money over a break. The fixes are cheap relative to a burst: insulate the exposed runs, seal the drafts blowing across them, keep the heat at a steady minimum even when away, and open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls during a deep freeze. For a home that freezes every year, our crew can reroute or heat-tape the chronic spot so it stops being an annual event. A single winter without a burst pipe usually pays for the work.