Route pex pipe through interior not exterior walls where possible.
How cold to freeze pipes in attic.
While pex does not ordinarily burst in the cold the water in the pipes can still freeze.
Pex is semi flexible.
There are number of steps you can can take when learning how to keep pipes from freezing in the first place.
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 a span of pipe is particularly vulnerable to low temperatures.
The best pipe insulation for your situation will depend.
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.
Moving plumbing pipes from a slab to an attic.
Insulate pex pipe exposed to freezing temperatures.
Field tests of residential water systems showed that for uninsulated pipes installed in an unheated attic freezing began when the outside temperature fell to 20 f or below.
Wherever water supply lines pass through the attic foam pipe insulation sleeves should be installed on all exposed spans.
Use heat tape on problem pipes.
How to thaw frozen pipes.
But exposed plumbing in areas such as crawl spaces attics and garages may be at risk.
As water freezes it expands and can increase the pressure in your plumbing system.
Exposed pipes in the basement are usually warm enough that they aren t in danger of freezing.
Insulate pipes located in the attic and crawl space using pipe insulation even if the climate where you live does not often have hard freeze conditions you can also wrap pipes in heat tape or heat cables with a thermostat control.
But plumbing pipes in an unheated area such as an attic crawl space and garage are at risk of freezing.
Surprisingly both hot and cold pipes can be at risk.
3 tips to prevent leaks due to freezing attic pipes.
The bad news is that as a homeowner this is where you will definitely have to worry about having burst pipes causing serious damages to walls floors and other furniture.
Designing your home now.
When running pipe from a slab to an attic use cross linked polyethylene tubing or pex instead of copper.
If pipes are inside temperature in the outside environment should drop below 20 fahrenheit to get your pipes frozen.
Keep rooms at 55 degrees or more when outdoor temps drop below 20 degrees.
Often inexpensive foam pipe insulation is enough for moderately cold climates.