The extreme cold is not only dangerous for your family and pets, but also for your house.
Frozen pipes can be costly if they burst. Mandy Cawby, Communications Manager with WaterOne, said when your pipes freeze, you won’t have water coming out of at least one faucet.
She said there are ways to prevent pipes from freezing during winter cold snaps:
- Let a faucet trickle water overnight
- Open cabinet doors underneath your sinks & let warm air circulate
- Keep your temperature set to 55 to 65 degrees and above, even when you're not home
Cawby said if you don't see water coming out from any of the faucets or water heads, it could be a frozen meter.
"That's pretty rare, but it could happen," she said. "Or your service line between the meter and the house could be frozen. If it's a service line, it'll be you or your plumber that will need to thaw it out, probably a professional."
If your pipe is frozen, there are ways you can keep it from bursting.
"To safely thaw the frozen pipe, you'll want to find the master shut off valve, it's usually in the basement or the lower level on a wall that faces the street," Cawby said. "Grab some towels and have a plumber's number handy just in case and then take your hair dryer and apply gradual warm heat to the frozen pipe, never a blow torch for this job, your hair dryer is your best bet."
You can protect your pipes by using pipe insulation, towels, rags or heat tape. For more tips, click here.
-------
Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
