To prevent pipes from freezing in the first place, there are a few things you can do:

* Make sure outdoor pipes are buried below the frost line (the depth at which the ground typically freezes in your area). If they're no'and your home is in an area that has frequent freezes'you may want to consider having this work done by a qualified plumbing contractor.

* Insulate pipes that are exposed to the outdoors or that run in unheated crawlspaces, basements, attics, and walls. To insulate them, you can buy tubular, sleeve-type foam insulation that's slipped onto the pipe like a jacket. You can cut short pieces to length with a knife (an old bread knife works well).

* Insulate the cavities where pipes run'between floor joists or wall studs, for example.

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