FROZEN WATER PIPES CAN PROVE COSTLY

Frozen water pipes seldom make the news.

Agreed, they are seldom life-threatening, but more than a quarter-million families a year face the expense and inconvenience of freezing, bursting water pipes.

During the latest cold and snowstorm that paralyzed the eastern half of the nation, cars, trains and planes and just about anything else that moves were halted. Snow in some places was thigh-high, and more than 40 deaths were attributed to the weather, which dumped up to 43 inches of snow in some areas.

There was nary a word about frozen water pipes.

"But you can bet they are out there," said Donna Fisher-Brown, public affairs specialist for State Farm Insurance Companies at the Missouri Regional Office in Columbia. "When things start thawing out, the reports will start coming in."

John C. Finley, claim superintendent for the State Farm Insurance Companies Claims Center in Cape Girardeau, agrees.

"As a general rule, we don't have many frozen pipe problems in Southeast Missouri," said Finley. "But we have a few claims each year."

One of the claims here last year was from the owner of a $185,000 home. The family had been away for the weekend and returned to find that some water pipes had frozen and broken.

"Frozen pipe outbreaks may only occur every two or three years, but when they do the cost is often amazingly high," said Fisher-Brown. "In 1995, the company had only one outbreak in the ~catastrophic category."

But two years ago, in 1994, an outbreak of frozen pipes resulted in insurance payouts of more than $167 million for more than 65,000 claims. And in 1989 frozen pipes were the 10th costliest disaster in the history of State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, with payouts of more than $185 million on more than 68,000 claims where flooring, walls, ceilings, furniture and appliances were damaged.

There are many claims filed each year not associated with a major outbreak, said Ron Roberts of the Columbia State Farm office. Roberts estimated that aboaut 250,000 homes a year experience property damage from bursting pipes.

One of the things that could drive up insurance payouts early this year is the extreme cold weather in some southern states. While damage from frozen pipes is unlikely in warmer climates where there is little or no insulation in many homes, such damages occur in most parts of the country at one time or another.

"Many homes in the south have not taken the necessary cold precautions against freezing pipes," said Fisher-Brown.

Research has determined that the main causes of damage from frozen pipes, aside from inadequate insulation, are gaps located near areas where pipes enter the house.

Cold air may also damage pipes when people leave their home for extended periods, with the furnace off, or turned down to low, or when areas of plumbing are not properly heated and insulated.

It doesn't take much for a family to have a soggy homecoming. An eighth-of-an-inch crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day, soaking floors, rugs and furniture.

Even when people are home, pipes can freeze if they are not protected. But there are some simple steps for prevention.

Pipes can be insulated before winter and garden hoses can be disconnected to prevent freeze where the shutoff valve is. When freezing is a real possibility, cabinet doors under sinks may be left open to allow warm air inside. In some cases, water faucets may be left on to allow a drip since water is less likely to freeze when moving. And another measure is to make sure the home's heat is no lower than 55 degrees.

If pipes should freeze, do not try to thaw them with an open flame or torch, which could create a house fire that could cause a lot more damage than broken pipes.