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 not-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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