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The National Weather Service is forecasting nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing starting this weekend. The City's Utility Department reminds residents to prepare for the cold by taking steps to protect their pipes. Here are some helpful winter precautions.
Before the Cold hits:
· Check sprinkler or irrigation systems: Make sure you've turned everything off and fully drained the system.
· Identify your home's freezing points: Check your home for pipes in areas that might be prone to freezing, such as crawl spaces, unheated rooms, basements, garages, and exterior walls.
· Know how to shut off your water: Locate your main water shut-off valve. You may want to tag or label it so you don't have to search for it in an emergency.
· Strengthen your defenses: Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by closing off crawl spaces, fixing drafty windows, insulating walls and attics, and plugging drafts around doors.
· Protect your pipes: Where pipes are exposed to cold, wrap them with insulation or electrical pipe heater (even fabric or newspaper can help).
When the temperature drops:
· Keep water moving through the pipes by allowing a small trickle of water to run, but only the faucets farthest from the entry point/meter box. Allowing all faucets in a home or business to run isn’t necessary and creates an unsustainable demand on the water system.
· Give pipes a helping hand: If pipes run through cabinets or vanities, open the doors to let warmer room temperatures flow in.
If your pipes do freeze:
· Thaw pipes with warm air: You can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming the air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
· Shut off the water immediately: Don't attempt to thaw pipes without turning off the main shut-off valve.
· Be careful turning the water back on: Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks or leaks that might have been caused by freezing.
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