A: Oh no, Paul --winter is not the time to think about how to protect your pipes! I wish you had written sooner!

Good protection from water line freeze-ups starts with laying out the job to avoid running lines in exposed areas (like an attic). Good plumbers usually will try to keep all water lines in areas that stay warm. If a line has to go in a place like an outside wall or across a ceiling, the pipe should be kept inside the insulation layer closer to the drywall.

Having lines exposed in the attic is almost like running them outside, and if you live in a very cold area this can be a disaster waiting to happen. If the pipes do freeze and split, water can pour from the ceiling down into your home.

If possible, get some insulating sleeves around the pipes and fittings. Also, I would install another layer of thick attic insulation on top of the pipes and joists across the entire attic to create a "blanket" over the water lines. This is no guarantee, since any water line will freeze if it gets cold enough -- even if it's insulated.

Finally, I'd keep the heat up above 68 degrees F in the area under the pipes. Warm rooms can radiate more heat up into the attic. I'd rather pay a little higher fuel bill and get a little more protection than have to deal with a flood!