You may have dodged the bullet with this last storm, but in case you haven’t heard….the forecast now if for several nights of hard freezes. Brrrr.
Here are some things that you can – and should – do now to help prevent your pipes from freezing. These things don’t cost any money – and you don’t even have to leave your yard. (For some more robust solutions, see here.)
INSIDE. Pipes on exterior walls are usually the most vulnerable. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of heat to raise the temperature above freezing. Try these things:
Open the door. If any sink is next to an outside wall or in a colder room, open the cabinet door so the warmer air in the room reaches the pipes. Open your washing machine and dishwasher doors.
Light the lamp. Put a lamp with an incandescent bulb near any exposed pipe, making sure it doesn’t touch anything.
Open the tap. Again, leave faucets to drip just a bit.
Run the water. Turn on the water every few hours, especially during the night. Turn on all spigots, flush toilets, and run water into washing machine and dishwasher. You can also program your dishwasher and washing machine to start running during the night.
OUTSIDE. It’s going to freeze outside. The important thing to do is to try to keep water flowing, and taps open to relieve the pressure on pipes if they do freeze.
Detach the hose. Make sure that all garden hoses are unattached.
Wrap the spigots. Wrap the spigots with cloth or insulation.
Open the tap. Turn the tap on to a drip. (Don’t forget to turn it off after the weather warms up a bit!)
Fill the hole. Use bits of insulation or even towels to plug any spaces around your foundation, especially around pipes.
These things are not guaranteed to prevent burst pipes, but they may help just enough to get you through until you have time to come by Southside Building Center and let us help you get all the supplies you need to weatherproof your home.
From insulation to caulking, we can help you keep the heat inside your home, and the cold outside – where it belongs!