Why do water pipes burst in the winter?

Answer 1

If you don't insulate water pipes or protect them in some way from the cold, the water inside the pipes can freeze. This causes you to be without water until the pipes warm up enough to thaw. Also, when the water freezes, it can expand and burst the pipes which will then need to be replaced. Save yourself the aggravation of having no water and the cost of replacing pipes by insulating them. To protect pipes in an empty or unused building, you can pour anti-freeze down all drains and in the toilet to winterize them.

Answer 2

Ice forms in the pipes. When water freezes it expands a little bit! In water pipes it sometimes expands just enough to split the pipe.

The reason why water pipes sometimes burst in winter is because water pipes are full of water and in the winter the air is very cold, sometimes in the UK even 2 or 3 degrees celcius. Because the air is so cold, and the air is surrounding the water pipes

During the winter, the cold air is surrounding the pipes, which has water. The air turns the water inside the pipes to ice. When water freezes, it expandes. The frozen water expanded just enough to cause the pipe to burst.

Answer 3

You must keep water pipes from freezing because when water is cooling to the point of freezing, the particles contract. But eventually when frozen too long the ice expands, not melting but expands which can damage the actual pipe.

Answer 4

because the water inside the pipes freezes which causes ice to be created, which then expands and causes the pipe to burst